The geological beginnings of the notable Whanganui Basin and the first creatures to live here. We also feature a special interstellar visitor, the Mokoia Meteorite.

According to Māori, Te Ika-a-Māui (the fish of Māui, the North Island) was hauled from the sea by Māui. It is loaded with marine shell and fossil evidence to prove its oceanic heritage.

The Whanganui Basin, the most recent part of the fish to emerge, formed as the Indo-Australian Plate buckled down in its slow-motion collision with the Pacific Plate. These awesome tectonic forces are still squeezing down, or “subducting” the Pacific Plate, causing the north side of the Basin to tilt upward. A gain of 0.3 millimetres a year seems insignificant, much slower than fingernails growing, but a million years has added 300 metres of elevation.