Rongomaraeroa (original) (raw)

Rongomaraeroa is the marae of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and incorporates a contemporary wharenui (meeting house) Te Hono ki Hawaiki. It is located on the museum's 4th floor overlooking Wellington harbour, and was officially opened on 30 November 1997. The design, described as "postmodern", was overseen by Te Papa's inaugural kaihautu (Māori leader), master carver Cliff Whiting. As "the only one of its kind expressly built for that purpose in a museum", this marae is "arguably the most prominent embodiment of [Te Papa's] commitment to biculturalism".