Photo: Johnragla, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
🥝 Pacific

Culture
Chatham Islands

Moriori, marae and heritage · Official websites

⚠️ Timetables, prices and access conditions may change without notice, for reasons beyond our control (season, weather, decisions by operators, venues or local authorities). Before every trip, check the information with the relevant authorities and service providers.

🪶Moriori culture3 places
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Kōpinga Marae
Chatham Island

Moriori meeting house whose architecture recalls the island's basalt columns; home to the revival of Moriori language and culture. Visits follow the marae's guidelines.

MorioriArchitectureLiving culture
🌐Official websitemoriori.co.nz→
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Hokotehi Moriori Trust
Chatham Island

Moriori organisation that runs Kōpinga Marae and keeps alive the story of Nunuku's law of peace.

HistoryPeaceMoriori
🌐Official websitemoriori.co.nz→
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Hāpūpū carved trees
Chatham Island

Trees carved by the Moriori (rākau momori), protected in a national historic reserve; guided visits only.

HeritageCarvingsGuided visit
🌐Official websitedoc.govt.nz→
🏛️Museum1 place
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Chatham Islands Museum
Waitangi

Natural history of the archipelago, fossils, and Moriori, Māori and European cultures.

MuseumFossilsHistory
🌐Official websitechathamislands.co.nz→

The Moriori, settled on the archipelago more than five centuries ago, built a society founded on the rejection of war, Nunuku's law. After the 1835 invasion and decades of oppression, their culture is now reviving around Kōpinga Marae. The presence of Māori (Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri) and of European settlers completes the islands' unique history.