Tuia 250 ki Tōtaranui - Welcome to Waitohi/Picton

This is your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Tuia 250 flotilla sail into Waitohi/Picton harbour joined by waka crewed by our local iwi. It will be visible from 10am.

Join us in a huge community welcome to the crews from Tahiti, Aotearoa and Australia and stay on for the entertainment and civic welcome by the mayor (12pm to 2pm). Get to the foreshore early to secure a good vantage point.

Join the ukuleles in singing Ko Te Waipounamu:
Ko Te Waipounamu
Maranga mai ki runga
Ē ngā iwi o te motu ē tau nei
Kaua ē tukua
Kei ngaro te whenua
Ē ngā iwi o te motu
Haere mai
Maranga Te Waipounamu
Pōwhiritia ngā iwi
Te reo karanga
Te reo pōwhiri
Ē ngā iwi o te motu
Haere mai

Families are encouraged to take an evening walk along the foreshore to experience a mesmerising 3D light installation projected onto the War Memorial, sponsored by Interislander.

Witness the great battle between Kupe and Te Wheke o Muturangi (the giant octopus) on the waters of Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound, forming New Zealand’s longest coastline. Watch as the Endeavour circumnavigates Aotearoa, marking the first encounters between Māori and Pākehā.

The vessels include:
- The Haunui from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland
- Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti from Tauranga
- Fa’afaite i te Ao Mā’ohi, a va’a moana from Pape'ete, Tahiti.
- The HMB Endeavour replica from the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney
- The Spirit of New Zealand from Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland.

This event is part of the Tuia 250 Encounters programme.