UDINZ Whakatipu Tāone 2026 Site Tour of Te Waihorotiu Station

UDINZ along with, supporting organisation Auckland Transport, are running a site tour of the Te Waihorotiu Station at lunchtime on Thursday 12 November. This is an adjunct to the "Whakatipu Taone: Growing Cities with Mana Whenua" gala event happening later that day. If you are already registered for the Gala dinner you can also attend this tour free of charge but must register.

Te Waihorotiu: Where the Journey Begins

Participants will gather at the Victoria St entrance to Te Waihorotiu (which is just uphill from the tuna/eel), one of Auckland's most significant new pieces of public infrastructure and connected to the history of place and people.

We will do a walk through of the station precinct including the station interiors, kindly supported by executives from Auckland Transport, including Joel Rowan and CEO Stacey van der Putten taking in the incredible toi/public art commissioned for the station and the design process. More than a transport hub, Te Waihorotiu represents the integration of Māori narratives, history, ecology and identity into the design of a major civic space.

The station takes its name from the historic Waihorotiu Stream, a waterway fundamental to the history of Ngāti Whātua and the origins of Tāmaki Makaurau. Although largely hidden beneath the modern city, the stream remains part of the cultural and physical foundations upon which Auckland was built.

The station itself tells this story. From the Wāhine and Horotiu sculptures to the kauri carvings, the tears of Ranginui represented in the station façade, and the installation recalling the flow of the historic stream beneath the city, Te Waihorotiu demonstrates how indigenous knowledge can shape our places and us as people.

If you have not already purchased a ticket to the Gala Dinner, you can do so separately here: https://whakatipu-taone-gala-dinner-2026.lilregie.com/