The Te Ahu Heritage Museum in Kaitaia holds a remarkable collection. Its purpose is to illuminate the stories and histories of the very Far North district [Te Hiku o te Ika] of New Zealand. Treasures among the pre-European Maori collection include greenstone, early carvings and the 500 year old skeletal remains of the extinct kuri [ Polynesian dog]. Other major themes are gum digging and the Dalmatians, kauri gum and timber, early shipwrecks, missionary pioneers. The Museum has a large archives collection – documents, journals, newspapers, maps and photographs from the extensive Northwood Collection. It is the proud home of the first European item left in New Zealand, the mighty de Surville anchor.