Once a staple for locals and tourists alike in Te Taitokerau, the Tūī has been reduced to ashes, with nearly 90% of the vessel destroyed.
Community members and local fire volunteers arrived early Wednesday morning to find smoke billowing from the historic tall ship, which has sat beside Te Tī Marae in Waitangi for approximately 55 years.
Northland local Roddy Pihema called it “a very sad day for the people of the region.”
“He nui te pōuritanga nē? I te hapori o Waitangi, me te rohe o Te Tai Tokerau, he nui te mamaetanga.”
These feelings were echoed by local firefighter Sandro Schuetze.
“We done everything in our power to save the boat but given the conditions — heavy wind and the boat being in a dry condition — we weren’t able to achieve that sort of goal to save the boat and prepare to bring it back to glory.”
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Community Risk Manager Mitchell Brown said the fire began on the ship, which had been converted into a building next to the Waitangi Bridge.
“Our volunteer crews responded at around 4 am, and they’ve been working really hard the last few hours to bring the fire under control. Thankfully, there wasn’t anyone inside the ship overnight.”
He kaipuke whai mana
E ai ki a Pihema, he rongonui te poti nei, ā, ina te tokomaha o ngā tāngata kua kite i te poti, i a rātou e haere ana ki Waitangi.
“I suppose anyone who knows Waitangi knows about the Shipwreck Museum that was brought here by Kelly Tarlton. It’s a fixture within the history of Waitangi and the wider north.”
E ai ki a FENZ, ko tā rātou mahi nui ināianei, he whakakore i ngā waro me ngā toenga o te poti i wera. I tuku hoki rātou i ā rātou mihi ki te hau kāinga me te whānau o Te Tī Marae, mō tō rātou whakaae kia whakamahia te takutai i reira te poti i ū ai, kia āhei ai te mahi tinei me te whakatikatika i te wāhi.
