Famed flagpole arrives at museum

To fit the flagpole in, the museum's galleries had to be closed

A Maori flagpole described as one of the most important objects received by a Cambridge museum has been restored.

The 26ft (8m) pole was gifted to Prince Edward, later King Edward VIII, in April 1920 in New Zealand.

Carved by Tene Waitere, considered one of the greatest carvers by experts, it is thought to be the only example of its kind outside New Zealand.

The flagpole spent nearly a century at a Portsmouth shore base, until it was rescued and restored to go on display.

Because of the height of the flagpole, the galleries at Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA), had to be closed in order to get it in.

Dedication ceremony

Director of the MAA, Professor Nick Thomas, said: "This is the single most important object acquired by the Museum for decades.

"Tene Waitere was an astonishing artist. His understanding of the carving traditions was profound, but his instinct was invariably to do something new, to take Maori art to places it had never been before."

The great grandson of Waitere, James Schuster, will travel 12,000 miles to attend the dedication ceremony - where he will recite Maori prayers to settle the spirit of the pole, known to Maori as pouhaki, in its new home.

Mr Schuster also took part in the recent conservation work of the pouhaki, using the same chisels employed by his grandfather.

The dedication ceremony will take place at the museum on Thursday.