A rare glimpse into Wellington’s past is available right in the middle of town following the recent opening of the Te Aro Pā visitors’ centre in lower Taranaki Street.

The centre opened with a dawn ceremony on Saturday 11 October 2008 with more than 200 people in attendance. Inside the centre are the preserved foundations of two whare ponga – dating from the 1840s Te Ātiawa settlement of Te Aro Pā.

Local kaumātua Sam Jackson, supported by iwi from Wellington and Taranaki, led the cultural rituals required to bless and open the site.

The ceremony was followed by speeches from dignitaries including Sir Paul Reeves and Mayor Kerry Prendergast.

Wellington City Council’s Arts and Culture Portfolio Leader, Councillor Ray Ahipene-Mercer, says Te Aro Pā is unique. “It’s the first 1840s Māori site found in the city and contains the only known whare ponga to have survived from that period. What makes this site even more amazing is that it’s right in the heart of downtown Wellington.”

The remains from Te Aro Pā were uncovered during construction of a new apartment building in November 2005. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust, developer Washington Ltd, the City Council and the Wellington Tenths Trust – which administers Māori land around the city – agreed on how to preserve the structures.

Wellington Tenths Trust CEO Liz Mellish says this is a great example of organisations with very different interests all working together to find a solution that worked for everyone.

“Having a site like this on one of Wellington’s busiest downtown streets is a fantastic asset for the city. Wellingtonians and visitors can see a little of what life was like for people of the Taranaki iwi who settled in this spot as far back as 1820,” she says.

The public can visit the site free of charge, seven days a week from 9am to 5pm, and interpretive signage explains the history of the site and how it has been preserved.