Waitangi Visitors Centre

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are one of New Zealand’s most important historical sites, which have now become a very significant tourist destination, whose numbers increase every year. To enhance the visitor experience, there was a need to upgrade the Visitor’s Centre. The original Waitangi Visitors Centre, by Architect John Scott – opened in 1983. The design was a single large gable-ended building, with the front reflecting the form of a wharenui. A major consideration was to retain and preserve the integrity of John Scott’s original design concepts such as the simple play of open and enclosed space. These sequences of spaces make up a journey, demonstrated through the movement between spaces and buildings. HB Architecture designed a glass-covered courtyard leading to the west façade, providing a meeting point for guided tours and an open space before entering. The large retail volume of the building will be seen with the high-level windows beyond while connecting to the native forest that envelops the building. The original gable-ended roof has been extended and revealed, whilst maintaining the lines of the current ridge and structure. To the east, the elevated walkway connects the Visitor’s Centre to the rest of the Waitangi Treaty grounds.