Waka preserved for future generations

Wellington mount maker Dennis Feaver (left), AG Industrial Taupo engineer Morgan Tunnicliffe, Auckland conservator Rose Evans and Taupō Museum displays officer Piata Winitana-Murray during the waka restoration project. Photo / Supplied

An important restoration project has ensured the Opepe waka, the centrepiece of the Tūwharetoa Gallery at the Taupō Museum, can be admired for years to come.

The 15m waka, made from one mighty totara log, was found at Opepe in the 1950s and was outside, exposed to the elements, for years next to the Taupō Police Station.

It was relocated to Taupō Museum in 2006 but had become very fragile because of its age. It was at high risk of further deterioration because of the drying out process and the unstable environmental conditions.

In 2018, Auckland conservator Rose Evans and Tautahanga Rameka were called on to begin a project to preserve the waka, the first stage of which involved removing lichen and bacterial growth.

A recommendation was made to create new supports for the waka, which better fit its shape, as the current supports did not provide good conservational care.

That was completed last week with the waka blessed, raised, treated and new custom-made supports installed. Taupō Museum displays officer Piata Winitana-Murray says it was a long time coming after the Covid-19 pandemic caused several delays.

“We were going to start in 2020 and now that it’s done it is a little surreal.

“We’re really happy and excited. There was a lot to consider with this project. We had to make sure raising the waka and putting it on the new supports did not damage or alter it in any way and ensure tikanga Māori was followed as appropriate. We worked really closely with Tūwharetoa representatives throughout.

“We were really eager to make sure every step of the restoration was completed in the right way. We look at the waka as a symbol of the culture on the water in the past and this waka is symbolic of that. It’s a popular feature of the museum and the size of it is quite spectacular.”

The project could not have been completed without Evans, Wellington mount-maker Dennis Feaver and local engineer Morgan Tunnicliffe, of AG Industrial.

Evans was responsible for treating the waka, to help preserve and strengthen it, and says from the original condition report to choosing the right types of solvent and adhesives, it was a big project.

“You have to take an absolutely incredible amount of care on a project like this.

“We’ve had really rigorous conversations with Tūwharetoa kaumātua and people from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to make sure this was done right. The goal was to strengthen the waka without changing its aesthetic.”

She says it is an honour to be part of a project that ensures the longevity of such a significant piece of history.

The public can check out the finished product from 10am-4.30pm each day at the Taupō Museum.