Waitangi National Reserve Maori Art Bay Of Islands New Zealand
Photo & Vacation Spot

Maori art, all which has been hand carved, is found throughout the entire Te Whare Runanga or meeting house at the Waitangi National Reserve in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.

The Waitangi National Reserve is a place of national and historic significance in the Bay of Islands on the North Island as well as throughout the entire region of New Zealand. At this site, in the Treaty House, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6th, 1980 between Maori and the British Crown. Visitors to the Waitangi National Reserve will find various buildings, one being the meeting house where this Maori art is displayed.

Delicate carvings are found in the Te Whare Runanga or meeting house, each one representing all Iwi (regional tribes) found throughout New Zealand. The walls, roofs, benches and statues are all hand carved and studying this art makes one realize how talented the Maori people were and still are.

This figure is known as Kupe, the Pacific explorer Kupe, who sits at the apex of the gable as you enter the meeting house at the Waitangi National Reserve. Other carvings are significant to the ancestors of the various Maori tribes in New Zealand.

New Zealand, North Island, Bay of Islands, Waitangi, Waitangi National Reserve, Treaty Grounds, Te Whare Runanga (meetinghouse)