The first day of Apumoana Marae's makeover was sunny, warm and full of hard work - with whanau returning from far and wide to help out.
After winning a bid to have a major renovation for TV3 show Marae DIY people affiliated with the marae have come from far andwide to help out. About 100 people rolled up their sleeves to help yesterday.
Whanau were extra thrilled to be selected because the marae celebrates its 100th birthday next month.
Show producer Nix Jaques said the marae was selected on the grounds it wanted to reconnect its whanau.
Ms Jacques said the first day of shooting went well.
"The community response has been overwhelming, it's a very humbling experience, especially for me because I was raised on this marae.
"Every day for the last four days has been filled with memories of our old people who were here previously, it's been an emotional time and extremely exciting as well."
She said she couldn't wait for the final reveal, which meant a lot to her and to the more than 100-year-old marae.
"The outcome is going to be great. It's about sharing, reconnecting and remembering as we go along.
"People have come back from Australia, Auckland and the South Island to help and to be reconnected is lovely."
She said they owed a huge debt of gratitude to their sponsors and suppliers.
"Without them the whole DIY wouldn't have happened."
The marae, on Tarawera Rd at Lynmore, contains two wharenui - Apumoana o Te Ao Kohatu and Apumoana o Te Ao Hou - as well as a wharekai, Te Aowheoro, four kaumatua flats, a kokiri, office, committee room building and a workshop.
The show started 13 years ago and is in its 12th season - making it the longest running locally produced DIY show.
It switched from Maori Television to TV3 last year.
