Aerial view of the Museum of Waitangi construction site.
A giant portrait of Queen Victoria which has been wandering the country for 45 years is set to return to its rightful home when the Museum of Waitangi opens early next year.
The 3m-tall painting of a young Queen Victoria was given to the Waitangi National Trust by Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the Treaty Grounds in 1970. However, it was far too big to fit in the Treaty House.
On seeing the size of the portrait for the first time as it was unpacked, the gathering was said to be appalled because there were no buildings large enough to house it. The Queen was reported to have said: "Why don't you take it off the stretcher and roll it up a bit?"
Instead, it was loaned to Auckland Museum for safe-keeping.
From there it ended up at Government House in Wellington and became so much a part of the decor that its minders forgot it belonged in the North.
Now the painting is one of many treasures heading home to the Bay of Islands for the opening of the museum during the 2016 Waitangi Day celebrations.
Waitangi National Trust chief executive Greg McManus said the new museum would bring together taonga from museums and private collections around New Zealand and overseas for the first time.
Many belonged to the trust but, without a secure, climate-controlled building to house them, had been loaned out to other institutions. The museum was the cornerstone of a $12.5 million redevelopment at the Treaty Grounds funded by the Lottery Grants Board's Significant Project Fund, Foundation North (formerly the ASB Community Trust), the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the Waitangi National Trust itself. It is being built beside the Treaty Grounds main entrance on Tau Henare Drive.
Mr McManus said the museum would focus on telling the stories of Waitangi and the origins of the nation through a mix of traditional museum displays and interactive technology, including digital labels and audio-visual displays. It would have a strong focus on education with a dedicated learning centre and programmes catering to school groups.
"The new museum is really going to enhance the overall Waitangi experience and complement the existing heritage buildings and attractions.
"The trust's aspiration is for every New Zealander to visit Waitangi during their lifetime, to learn more about the history of our nation and to leave with a sense of pride. We want a visit to the Bay of Islands to be on every Kiwis 'must do' list."
The museum's curator, Kate Martin, previously managed the Heritage New Zealand property Pompallier House in Russell. She's particularly excited to have the painting "home" for the first time.
"It has never been shown at Waitangi," she said. "So we are, at last, honouring the spirit of this royal gift."
Ms Martin said it was fitting that the painting was done in 1842, so it portrayed the young Victoria as she would have been around the time of the Treaty signing, rather than the "frumpy" widow Queen she has become known for.
Installation of the exhibits will begin in early December when construction of the two-storey building is due to be completed.