Patea Maori Club. Patea Is The Gateway To Taranaki
Description
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The Aotea Memorial Canoe is 16.8 meters long and is mounted on top of a concrete structure.
The memorial was the gateway to the second Patea Town Hall, which was pulled down in 1981 for structural reasons. The memorial is constructed primarily of concrete with paua shells in the shape of diamonds set into the beams of the concrete base. Whole paua shells are set into the beam, which supports the canoe on the framework
History
The canoe commemorates the settlement of the area by Turi and his Hapu, who traveled from Hawaiiki to Kawhia and then overland to Patea. The unique memorial to the great navigator was unveiled on 2 April 1933 by the Hon J A Young, Minister of Internal Affairs.
The erection of the memorial was due to the efforts of Mr. Panenui, Mr. Tupito and Mr. Wakarua, who after working on jubilee celebrations came up with the idea and helped to raise funds by holding a display of Maori Culture at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth. The money raised formed the nucleus of the Turi Memorial Fund. The memorial was erected at a cost of £500, and the Maori Trust Board arranged for the balance of the funds. The original carved
figures were made of punga tree trunks.
In recent years the concrete fence in front of the memorial has been removed and the area
surrounding the canoe tidied up as part of the urban upgrade.
There are marble plaques on either side of the canoe on the structure.
The plaque to the left, written in capital letters, reads:
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“HE TOHU WHAKAMAHARATANGA
TENEI NA NGA URI E NOHO NEI I RUNGA
I TENEI MOTU I AOTEAROA
MO O RATOU TUPUNA MO
TURI ME RONGORONGO
ME TA RAUA WHANAU ME TO RAUA OPE”
The plaque to the right, also in capital letters, reads:
“THIS IS A TOKEN OF REMEMBRANCE
ERECTED BY THE DESCENDANTS LIVING
THROUGHOUT AOTEAROA OF THEIR
ANCESTORS TURI AND RONGORONGO
THEIR FAMILY AND FELLOW VOYAGERS
ERECTED 1933.”
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Architect
Possibly Jones Brothers, Monumental Masons, Hawera.
Builder
Jones Brothers, Monumental Masons, Hawera carried out the intricate carving of the prow of the canoe.
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Sources
Patea and Waverley Press, Friday 4 August 1933.
Date
January 2000
Information added in November 2002.
Nephi Prime stars as the Wairua (spirit)
Patea Maori Club is a household name.
Their smash hit 'Poi E' was the biggest selling single in Aotearoa (New Zealand), peaking at No.1 for four weeks.
Jay stars in "Poi-E: The Musical" The group has won award after award, including best group in the New Zealand Entertainer of the Year Award. In 1994 the first original soundtrack to 'Poi E' went gold and the group were awarded the Golden Scroll Award in the 1994 Entertainer of the Year Awards.
Mount Taranaki "8261 ft "
Patea Freezing Works, the closing of which
inspired the Musical
The chorus portray themselves in 'Poi E - The Musical'