More Info →Meeting house at Awahuri

A handwritten caption on the original print reads as follows: “Erected for the visit of the Maori King Tawhia (sic) in the latter seventies…” The statement about the purpose of the construction appears to be correct, but the date of the visit was 1883 (see report in Manawatu Daily Times 27 January 1883). Identified as “Te Iwa Tekau” (literally 90 feet), a large marae at Awahuri said to have been 90 feet in length. The correct spelling is "Tawhiao". This meeting house was located on the east bank of the Oroua River, a few chains south of the main highway between Palmerston North and Bulls. The house fell into disrepair during the early 20th century and was blown down in the great gale of 1936. The small wharepuni alongside was damaged by the falling building and subsequently demolished. Building on the far left was the cookhouse/dining hall. The house faces the main road, river on right of the photograph. There is Tukutuku work and Kowhaituhai inside the house, says Tony Cribb of Awahuri (15/11/1971), but no carving. The house is 99 feet long and known simply as "Te Iwa".