Mataatua Wharenui

Mataatua wharenui is the most travelled Maori meeting house in the country. Built in 1875, it was taken to Australia, London and Otago before being returned to Whakatane after more than a century away. The story of Mataatua is part of the story of the desecration of Ngati Awa by the Crown and the fight of the people to regain their sovereignty.