Latest news
Track the flotilla
Follow the progress of the Tuia 250 flotilla on your device with this dynamic GPS and animated tracking technology.
Marlborough turns it on for the Tuia 250 voyage flotilla
For the past five days, the region has celebrated Aotearoa’s long Pacific navigational history, and acknowledged the country’s Dual Heritage and Shared Future since the arrival of James Cook to these shores 250 years ago.
Navigator applies way-finding to teaching youth
Moeata Galenon was guided as much by the stars as ancestral knowledge when planning the long ocean voyage from Tahiti.
Tuia 250 sparks waka revival in Te tau Ihu
2000 years of celebration of blue water Pacific navigation
Tuia 250 commemoration reaches Tōtaranui
Events marking 250 years since Captain James Cook's arrival in Aotearoa New Zealand reach the South Island.
Iwi relaunch their waka traditions
A new era of cultural revitalisation is rolling out for iwi in the South Island with the recent launch of their new waka.
Place names tell a story
While place names like 'Tōtaranui' and 'Meretoto' have made headway, what about the roads, or bays, less travelled?
Te Ātiawa welcome Tuia 250
For Te Ātiawa, one of their most prominent stories is how their tūpuna travelled from Taranaki in 1080 to Totaranui.
Four days on a waka
Keelan Walker spent four days with the Tuia 250 flotilla, on board the Tahitian vessel, Fa'afaite i te Ao Mā'ohi.
Teaching our future leaders
OPINION: Marlborough is well-placed to pick up and run with what could be the most important nation-building project of a generation.
Voyagers selected for flotilla
A teacher and a vineyard contractor will face the elements on a waka hourua and the HMB Endeavour for Tuia 250.
Look who's talking:
Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō
Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō is one of four iwi preparing to welcome the Tuia 250 flotilla in November and one of eight iwi who call Te Tauihu home.
Supergroup to headline Picton event
Organisers decide to pick band with "willingness to speak out" to star in Tuia 250 commemorations.
Te Tau Ihu iwi celebrate in style
It was a special occasion for Te Tau Ihu iwi Ngāti Kuia, who not only celebrated Matariki, they also recognised the waka Te Hoiere, that was completed exactly one year ago.
Game connects young people with their history
Students from Queen Charlotte College are creating a computer game in preparation for Tuia 250 commemorations.
Setting sail for commemorative encounter
November this year marks the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s first encounters in New Zealand.
Sailors sought to join the crews
Keen young local sailors will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the Tuia 250 voyage
.jpg)
Different perspectives emerge
Students at a Marlborough school are hearing a different side of their local history that includes first encounters between migrants and Māori and how it was experienced by local Iwi.
Commemoration locked in
The itinerary for dual heritage celebrations in Marlborough will include two welcome parties, a night show and a roadshow.
Warm welcome in Picton
Marlborough mayor John Leggett is urging people to save-the date and make the most of the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.
'Legendary' map of Pacific
After six years of research, two German professors believe Tahitian navigator Tupaia's map of the Pacific, once thought to be "unreadable," was "fully understandable".
Who were the first humans to reach New Zealand?
DNA evidence clearly shows the founding population of New Zealand must have numbered in the hundreds.
Histories confirm connections between Māori and Pacific
Te Pokohiwi-o-Kupe/Wairau Bar, at Cloudy Bay in Marlborough, is one of the oldest known settlement sites in Aotearoa.
Broken mast replaced
After more than a week stuck at Port Taranaki for repairs, a waka is ready to set sail for Marlborough.
Tears shed at commemoration of Tupaia's arrival
The descendants of the first South Island iwi to encounter Captain Cook's Endeavour shed tears as they paddled out to meet the ship's replica at Meretoto/Ship Cove.
His ancestors built the Endeavour
Thomas Fishburn's great-great-great-great grandfather owned the boat-yard in England that built Captain James Cook's ship the HMS Endeavour
Cook's Endeavour, Tahitian explorer welcomed
On a clear, calm morning a tall ship appeared quietly on the horizon from far out at sea.
Tuia250 brings Endeavour replica southward
The northern parts of Te Wai Pounamu hold a huge significance for Māori and Pākehā alike.
Waka's dawn launch
"We're tangata whenua, people of the land; but we were the people of the sea first."
Apply for Media Accreditation
Applications are now open for journalists, photographers and film crews keen to cover the Waitohi/Picton-based Tuia 250 commemorations, November 21 - 24.
The Endeavour in Tōtaranui /Queen Charlotte Sound
On the 15th of January 1770 Lieutenant James Cook brought his ship, the bark Endeavour, into Tōtaranui.
Adventuring in the Sounds
As learning curves go, a voyage on the Spirit of New Zealand is right up there for youth.
Põwhiri Meretoto
At Meretoto/Ship Cove the Pōwhiri will be welcoming the crew of the Tuia 250 flotilla to Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka-a-Māui (Top of the South Island).
Using only signs of nature
After months of anticipation, the first Tuia 250 vessel has launched - with Fa'afaite i te Ao Mā'ohi leaving the shores of Tahiti.
Look who's talking: Rangitāne
Rangitāne is one of four iwi taking part in Tuia 250. But who are they?
Emotional graduation ceremony
Tears were shed as rangatahi graduated from Ngāti Apa's 10th leadership programme.
Captain James Cook: Destructive coloniser or intrepid explorer?
Opinion: It's a good time to start talking about how we, as a country, are going to mark the 250th arrival of Captain James Cook on these shores.
Tuia 250 Voyage Trainee applications now open
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the Tuia 250 Voyage
Voyage of discovery
Learning about great voyages in history has taken a Marlborough school on a special journey themselves.
No need to choose between events
Ocean Vine Hope festival steps aside to make way for Tuia 250 event in Picton on November 23
Reanimating tūpuna stories
Games for Tuia is a project led by NZCER working in collaboration with Gamefroot.
Writer and anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond describes Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound
Writer and anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond describes Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound as ‘Grand Central Station’ when Captain Cook first arrived.
Tuia 250 commemorations in Marlborough celebrate dual heritage, shared future
Read the story here.
Voyage of discovery
Sailing around New Zealand on a small ocean-going waka sounds terrifying to some, but for one Picton man it was a dream come true.
Endeavour replica leaves Marlborough
The flotilla of historic vessels on a commemorative voyage of coastal New Zealand has left Marlborough on the final leg of its three-month journey.
Endeavour, Tahitian explorer welcomed at Ship Cove
On a clear, calm morning a tall ship appeared quietly on the horizon from far out at sea.
Why is Meretoto so special
Tamati Rimene-Sproat, from Seven Sharp, checks out what was one of Captain James Cook’s favourite places.
Haere mai
Welcome to the flotilla
The sound of the pukaea signalled a "new presence" on the horizon.
Knowledge after Cook probed at Waiharakeke hui
Waiharakeke/ Blenheim will host a conference early next month exploring how knowledge changed after Captain James Cook’s Pacific voyages and his interactions with indigenous peoples.
Iwi members set sail
Two iwi members have been selected for an opportunity of a lifetime, a 10 day excursion aboard the waka hourua Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti.
Information for boaties
In the interest of navigation safety no vessel is permitted to navigate within the specified exclusion zones
Call for flotilla flowers
Hundreds of bright blooms are needed to welcome crew members as they arrive in Waitohi/Picton to celebrate
Tuia 250.
Look who's talking:
Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui
Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui is one of four iwi preparing to welcome the Tuia 250 flotilla.
Māori history walk in park
The hardest part is choosing what stories to share, says trustee.
Look who's talking:
Ngāti Kuia
Ngāti Kuia are one of the oldest iwi to originate from Te Tauihu, the top of South Island.
Tuia 250 commemoration sails into Marlborough
Fly My Pretties is set to give more to Marlborough than just sounds when it performs at the Tuia 250 commemoration
Huge interest in trainee berths
New Zealanders have jumped at the chance to apply for a free trainee berth aboard vessels that form the flotilla in the Tuia 250 Voyage
Celebration or Commemoration
Opinion: Labour and National debate if we should celebrate first Māori and Pākehā encounters.
Historic vessels will head to Sounds
Marlburians are being encouraged to ‘save the date’ to welcome a national flotilla of tall ships and waka at the centre of national Tuia 250 commemorations.
South Island readies for 250th anniversary
History shows the most sustained contact between Māori and Pākehā was at Meretoto/Ship Cove - in the Queen Charlotte Sound of the Marlborough Sounds.
Local historians reshape understanding of past
A community trust in Marlborough is working with local schools and other partners to tell a more balanced story about the first encounters between Māori and non-Māori in the Marlborough Sounds and their impact
The Tuia 250 flotilla is coming!
Save the date’to welcome a national flotilla of tall ships and waka at the centre of national Tuia 250 commemorations.
Dual heritage/shared future
Did you know Captain Cook spent more time at Meretoto/Ship Cove than anywhere else in New Zealand? Over seven years he visited the area five times, and in total spent around 100 days in the area.
Read the story here.
