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Story: Wellington region

Rediscovering Plimmer’s Ark

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Rediscovering Plimmer’s Ark

During renovation of the former Bank of New Zealand head office building (which included the National Mutual offices) in the 1990s, the remains of Plimmer’s Ark were uncovered. Most of the remnants were removed to the waterfront to be preserved. Here a section of the hull is being sprayed with a preservative. Plimmer’s Ark is among New Zealand’s most important urban archaeological finds.

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Wellington City Archives

Reference: 00259:0:7

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How to cite this page

Chris Maclean, Wellington region – The struggle to survive: 1840–1865, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/13237/rediscovering-plimmers-ark (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Chris Maclean, published 3 March 2009, updated 1 August 2015.