The 6.3m-long waka, unearthed in 2014 from nearby Papanui Inlet, is the second-oldest found in New Zealand.
That is why 10 strong men and those guiding them took so much care moving the fragile hull just a few metres to its new home, a custom-designed laboratory in a converted 40-foot shipping container.
There it is expected to dry out, sitting on a cradle shaped from 3-D modelling of its totara hull, in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment for about a year.
Te Runanga o Otakou chairwoman Rachel Wesley said yesterday’s move was another step in the "biggest piece of archaeology" undertaken on the marae.
After the waka’s removal from the inlet, it spent three years soaking in a water tank at the marae to remove its salt content, then spent the past three years submerged in a polyether compound.
Ms Wesley said the runanga was determined to retain its authority over its taonga, including other artefacts recovered from the inlet, and did not want the waka to be taken to an institution for preservation.
However, it had "developed some really strong relationships" with its collaborators on the project, including the Department of Conservation and Otago and Auckland universities.
Te Runanga o Otakou manager Michelle Taiaroa said consultation and planning would now start on the final leg of the waka’s journey, a purpose-built gallery on the marae.
Its display would coincide nicely with the introduction of New Zealand history in the national school curriculum in 2022 and be a valuable resource for school pupils in the region, Ms Taiaroa said.
