Kupe Sites

Ngā tapuwae o Kupe | Landmarks of the great voyager</>

Saturday 1 February - Sunday 8 June

A thousand years ago, the great voyager Kupe made an epic journey from the eastern Pacific across the ocean to a new land. Many traces remain of Kupe’s encounter with our land, which would much later be called New Zealand. They can be found in the names of landmarks in various parts of the country, and even in one of its names – Aotearoa. Kupe Sites presents 36 stunning black-and-white evocative photographs that show physical landmarks associated with Kupe’s voyage to Aotearoa including Wairarapa, Wellington, and northern South Island.

Developed and toured by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Image: Te Kawau-a-toru (the pet shag of Kupe), French Pass, Marlborough. Photograph by Michael Hall.