HMB Endeavour arriving in Tauranga on September 27.
A replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour was greeted by dozens of people on Mauao who cheered as it sailed into the Tauranga Harbour.
The Australian HMB Endeavour entered Tauranga Harbour at 10am today and will stay until next week.
There were cheers from some walkers who were trying to capture the attention of those on board the same ship a Far North iwi banned from docking in its waters.
The ship's arrival completes its voyage from Australia to New Zealand for the Tuia 250 commemorative events, which mark New Zealand's Pacific voyaging heritage and acknowledges the first onshore encounters between Māori and Pākehā in 1769–70.
There will be five voyages while the ship is in New Zealand. The final trip is from Picton to Wellington November 26 to November 30.
The next trans-Tasman voyage will be from Wellington to Sydney, departing on the 18-day sail on December 4.
People watched on as the Endeavour replica sailed into Tauranga. Photo / Andrew Warner
Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage tumu whakarae chief executive Bernadette Cavanagh said Tuia 250 placed the Endeavour's arrival to this land in the context of the feats of Pacific voyagers who navigated their way to Aotearoa many generations before the ship arrived.
"The Endeavour replica will be part of a six-vessel flotilla, including traditional Māori waka, and will travel to more than a dozen sites of significance to Pacific voyaging and the first onshore encounters between Māori and Pākehā in 1769.
The Endeavour replica ship sailing into Tauranga Harbour this morning. Photo / Zoe Hunter
"Tupaia, James Cook and the Endeavour crew were part of those first onshore encounters, and including the Endeavour replica is a way of acknowledging that – for some that is a painful acknowledgement. It is part of our story, our dual heritage and a chance to kōrero and rebalance the dominant narrative of early encounters."
Tuia 250 national co-ordinating committee co-chairman Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr said he was impressed with the crew members of the six vessels involved in the voyage.
He said crew members of all vessels had entered into the spirit of Tuia 250 by learning waiata and important aspects of Māori and New Zealand culture.
About the Endeavour replica
* The Australian-built replica of James Cook's HMB Endeavour is one of the world's most accurate maritime replica vessels, opening a window on a sailor's life during Cook's 1768-71 world voyage. The replica carries almost 30km of rigging and 750 wooden blocks or pulleys. The masts and spars carry 28 sails that spread about 930sq m of canvas.
* Construction of the Endeavour replica began in 1988 and the ship was launched five years later. Since then, she has sailed more than 170,000 nautical miles (twice around the world), visited 29 countries and many Pacific islands, and opened as a museum in 116 ports. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have come on board to see how Cook and his men lived.
* The Endeavour replica has visited New Zealand in the past, with the most extensive visit being an 11-port tour in summer 1995-96. Most recently the ship visited New Zealand on the return leg of a second world voyage, this was in March 2005. The ship has not been to New Zealand since ownership of the vessel moved from the HM Bark Endeavour Foundation to the Australian National Maritime Museum in April 2005.
