Anchor's away from where it is wanted...

HMS Buffalo sank in July 1840 after a gale blew her from moorings at Cooks Beach.

A maritime relic from Whitianga's most famous shipwreck could be a star attraction at the town museum's re-opening, but another museum has to be won over first.

Royal Navy transport ship HMS Buffalo was loading kauri spars for the return trip to England in July 1840 when a gale blew her from moorings at Cooks Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula's eastern shore, sinking the ship and costing two crewmen their lives.

Whitianga's beach and various businesses are named after the ship which is also a key part of Mercury Bay Museum's display. The museum has just had a $300,000 facelift and wants the relic - an anchor - back in time from Tauranga for its pre-Christmas re-opening.

"Tauranga is nothing to do with the Buffalo," said Mercury Bay Museum spokeswoman Rae Katene.

"This little museum has produced a colour brochure on the history of the Buffalo and has a dedicated Buffalo display."

Bob Kelsey said he "stirred the pot" when he saw the anchor in storage at Tauranga.

After living in Whitianga for 60 years, he moved to Papamoa Beach near Mt Maunganui and saw the anchor in Tauranga Museum's converted warehouse where its collection is housed while it waits approval for a new $23 million building.

Mr Kelsey said Tauranga Museum staff gave him a piece of paper saying the anchor was from the Buffalo. "If they say it came from the Buffalo, then it should be in Whitianga," he said.

Tauranga Museum director Mark Clayton said he had a written request from Mercury Bay Museum but his museum had three anchors in its collection and it was unclear which one belonged to the Buffalo.

"One is allegedly from the Buffalo but, unfortunately, that allegation is based on a piece of paper and we can't confirm that link," he said.

Mercury Bay would need to prove its case and even then, the anchor would only be on loan.

"The Buffalo used to trade with Tauranga so it's conceivable we might want it back at some stage," he said.

Whitianga's museum would also need to meet security and insurance standards.

"We'd make sure they met those criteria," he said. "It may sound obstructive but, in fact, we want to help, we don't want something if it's going to be of more relevance up there."