Carved in Taupo between 1927 and 1928 by master carver Tene Waitere, this meeting house stands in the foyer, welcoming visitors to the museum. The carvings were made for his niece Mrs Ruhi (Lucy) Rongoheikume Reid (nee Rickit) and gifted to the people of Taupo after her death.

As is customary, remove your shoes, and step inside this beautifully-crafted meeting house known as Te Aroha o Rongoheikume (for the love of Lucy Reid).

Admire the twelve turapa panels of tukutuku weaving inside the wharepuni depicting traditional designs based on the natural world.

Learn more about the people connected with this ancestral house and make the connection with the gateway carvings that are part of this set but which stand on the Taupo lakefront.