Stories from the Top of the South
Welcome to The Prow, a website featuring historical and cultural stories from Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.
Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Māui is the Māori name for the top of the South Island. Legend tells us that Te Tau Ihu was the prow of Māui's waka, or canoe, from which he fished up the North Island.
Join our voyage and discover more about the history and stories of Te Tau Ihu. Search or browse the theme pages, our timeline or the map location feature, add your own story, comment on any story, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter. Contact us for further information or to provide feedback on our stories.
The Prow is a collaboration between the Nelson City, Tasman and Marlborough District Libraries, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and The Nelson Provincial Museum. Images are supplied by supporting institutions, please check their terms of use.
Prow Features
Tuia 250
A commemoration to mark the onshore encounters between Māori and Europeans during the first voyage of James Cook and the HMS 'Endeavour' in 1769 to Aotearoa. The central event is the Tuia 250 Voyage with a flotilla of waka hourua, va’a tipaerua and tall ships sailing the coast from October to December 2019. The flotilla visits Waitohi/Picton 21-26 November. Find Prow stories which describe first encounters in Te Tau Ihu o te waka a Māui.
Top of the South Timeline
Find a story or an event using our timeline feature
Resources
Includes curriculum resources for teachers, Nelson Historical Journal, Nelson Photo News and more..
Tweets by @TheProwstoriesStory of the Day — Wednesday 27 January 2021

Nelson's Signal Station and the Time Gun
Britannia Heights in Nelson was once known as Signal Hill. The Songer tree now marks the site from which the state of the tide was signalled to incoming vessels and the identity of arriving ships was signalled to the people of the early settlement of Nelson. It was also the location for the weekly firing of a time gun by which people could check the accuracy of their timepieces.