By Alex Bourn
In 1875 a colossal Maori meeting house was taken from the shores of Whakatane and dismantled and shipped to exhibitions across the world.
Now the Mataatua Wharenui has been restored and returned to its birthplace after more than a century away from home.
For so long it has been about the journey but today was all about the destination.
Ngati Awa chief executive Jeremy Gardner says it is the first time one of these “wandering houses” has come back.
The meeting house was built in 1875 for royal visitors to the area.
But it did not stay in Whakatane for long despite the objections of the local iwi. It was still taken apart and shipped in a tiny boat to Sydney for an exhibition.
Then it went on to Melbourne and then London where it was stored at the Victoria Albert Museum for 40 years.
Whakatane mayor Tony Bonee says the Wharenui travelled the world had thousands of visitors to it.
Finally in 1996, the iwi Waitangi settlement saw Mataatua return to Whakatane with 100 years of wear and tear from being cut and left out in the open.
“We had a lot of restoration to do, damaged by travels, putting it up and down again,” says Mr Gardner.
Now at last the Wharenui with its unique twin carvings has re-opened to the delight of local iwi.
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