Curator Pacific Sean Mallon and Inangaro Vakaafi talk about the Niue collections at Te Papa

Cook Islands

There are around 14,800 residents across the Cook Islands, with a significant population living in Aotearoa New Zealand, maintaining strong ties home. Explore Te Papa’s Cook Island collections and stories from the community.

Tauhunu – a vessel carrying culture

One of the treasures we look after is a canoe that appears at the entrance of the exhibition Tangata o le Moana: the story of Pacific people and New Zealand on level four. This vaka (outrigger canoe) is from Manihiki in the northern Cook Islands and is one of only three such vaka that survive in museums worldwide. It is called Tauhunu after the main village on Manihiki.

Pacific sailing vessels