KEY POINTS:
A Maori flagpole gifted to a British royal nearly 90 years ago has been given new life.
The totara pouhaki (flagpole) was carved for Edward, Prince of Wales - later King Edward VIII - when he visited Rotorua in 1920.
The 8m-tall pouhaki was put on a train to Auckland before being shipped to England on HMS Renown.
But when the ship arrived, the Prince disembarked, but the flagpole stayed on board.
Adviser for Maori buildings and arts for the Historic Places Trust Jim Schuster says the flagpole has an interesting history.
"The Prince left it on the ship. I don't think he could carry it back to Buckingham Palace," Mr Schuster said. "The Navy guys took it and put it up in their gardens at Portsmouth [naval base] among rosebeds. It's been there ever since."
Mr Schuster, whose great-great-grandfather Tene Waitere - with Te Ngaru Ranapia - carved the flagpole, visited the naval base in 2006 and saw first-hand the damage that being outdoors had done to the flagpole.
"It's been outside for around 80 years - it's been out in the weather and the paua shells had all rusted out. Woodpeckers had got to it. It's been through a lot of storms - another storm would just blow it down."
Mr Schuster said those at the naval base had named the flagpole "pouihi" - meaning a post with mana - but the mispronunciation of the word made for a funny scene, he said.
"When I got there, I kept being told of the 'puhi' out in the garden. In Maori, puhi means virgin. So there was a bit of confusion at first - before I corrected them."
The flagpole has since been restored, with Mr Schuster using some of his great-great-grandfather's carving chisels to fix it with the help of students from the University College of London.
It will now stand at the Museum of Anthropology at Cambridge University and is set to be unveiled on December 4.
Mr Schuster said it was a privilege to see the works of his ancestors being admired by non-Maori.
"Just to see it, knowing it was made by his hands, it brings great pride. There's lots of our things over there [and] you always feel a lot of aroha for them - being away from home. But there's also a sense of pride knowing that your great-great-grandfather's work is being appreciated on the other side of the world."
