Aniwaniwa Museum
Alert/Important notice
Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre is partially closed
Visitors to Te Urewera National Park are advised that from January 2008 the upper floors of Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre will be closed and all services to the public provided from the lower part of the building.
Please note that the historic artefacts that were on display have been moved to the storage area. Alternative off-site storage has been found for Colin McCahon's 'Urewera Mural' at the Auckland Art Gallery.
Introduction
The dramatic landscape of Te Urewera has attracted people for centuries. Settlers and visitors have left a legacy of artefacts, photos, paintings and archival materials which gives clues to following generations of how people have lived in the area over the years.
Features
Maori taonga at Aniwaniwa Museum
As well as being an information centre the Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre is also a museum so it contains a wide range of artefacts from the area. The visitor centre is registered as a collector of artefacts under the Antiquities Act 1975 to keep taonga (treasures), and this ensures that artefacts from Te Urewera National Park can remain within the park. Taonga held at Aniwaniwa have been donated or lent to the museum.
In the museum you can visit Nga Taonga Tuku Iho meaning Treasures From The Past, the name given to the first exhibition gallery at the museum. The name was chosen by Waikaremoana hapu and given to the gallery following refurbishment which was completed in 2000. The gallery, originally known as the "Maori Hall" was designed by architect John Scott to give the feeling of being a wharenui or meeting house, a room for the display of taonga.
The gallery also contains the Urewera Mural, a triptych (set of 3 pictures), painted by artist Colin McCahon. The Aniwaniwa painting depicts elements of Tuhoe history and mythology and contains references to Te Kooti and Rua Kenana. It is painted in dark rich colours, reminiscent of the New Zealand bush and the central cream-coloured column or tree trunk motif is thought to represent Tane as the guardian of the forest.
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Location
The Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre and Museum is located next to Lake Waikaremoana on State Highway 38.
Getting there
The Aniwaniwa area covers the southern part of Te Urewera National Park, with the Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre and Museum located next to Lake Waikaremoana on State Highway 38. The highway runs between Wairoa and the central North Island and it has a gravel surface between Murupara and Aniwaniwa (about a 2 hour drive).