Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum is marking 250 years since the first onshore meetings between Māori and Europeans during HMB Endeavour’s 1769 voyage to Aotearoa New Zealand, with a new special exhibition Voyage to Aotearoa: Tupaia and the Endeavour  opens on Friday 13 September 2019.

Enter the world of Tupaia, Tahitian high priest, navigator, and artist. Go back in time to 1769 and journey with him on Captain Cook’s Endeavour from Tahiti to Aotearoa. 

Learn about the critical role Tupaia played in New Zealand’s history as he acted as translator and mediator for both Europeans and tangata whenua on this voyage. 

Jump on board this Pacific adventure where you can sail a va’a around the Society Islands, experience life as a sailor, and the charting of the coastline of Aotearoa.

Part of the national Tuia 250 commemorations, Voyage to Aotearoa: Tupaia and the Endeavour will introduce visitors to the different stories of these first onshore meetings. This interactive family exhibition tells the story of Captain James Cook’s first voyage to Aotearoa, with a focus on the Tahitian Endeavour voyager, Tupaia.

Drawing on Tupaia’s story, as a navigator and translator, visitors will feel a sense of adventure in this narrative-led exhibition. Told through three different settings: Tahiti, onboard the Endeavour and Aotearoa, this exhibition has hands-on experiences for children aged 9 to 12 years, combined with bold visuals and storytelling. This exhibit will feature a combination of English, Māori and Tahitian in both text and audio-visual interpretation.

Visitors will be introduced to Tupaia the Arioi (high priest), experience what everyday life was like in Tahiti in 1768 and learn about the Endeavour’s time there with Tupaia. Families can experience the mess hall of the Endeavour, see how sailors ate and slept on the ship and the kids can even jump in a hammock and try on clothes of the time. 

Auckland Museum Head of Exhibitions, Victoria Travers, says Voyage to Aotearoa offers different ways to look at our past. “Tupaia’s story is not as widely known as it should be, and we are hoping to shine a light on an under-represented story from this moment in global history. As part of Tuia 250 we are pleased to be part of a wider conversation to encourage New Zealanders to take another look at their past and consider different perspectives.”

Exhibition details

Voyage to Aotearoa: Tupaia and the Endeavour 
When: Friday 13 September 2019 to  Sunday 15 March 2020.
Where: Auckland Museum, The Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand
Price: Free for Aucklanders. Free with Museum entry for non-Aucklanders.
Further information: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/visit/exhibitions