Historic whaling pot finding its way home

Published on 15 June 2026

An historic whaling trypot is finally finding its way home to Moeraki.

Currently sited within the Ōamaru Harbour, it has been used as a feature amongst new plantings to greet visitors and welcome people to the area. Its new home will be in a small bay adjacent to the former Fleurs Restaurant when it is relocated to Moeraki next month.

The cast-iron pot’s origins date back to the original whaling station in Moeraki operated by the Hughes family, making it a significant historical piece directly relevant to Moeraki and descendants in the area.

John Hughes, his partners and a crew of experienced whalers landed at Moeraki on 26 December 1836 from the barque Magnet, and began setting up a shore-based whaling station at Onekakara, the site of present-day Moeraki. In around 1847, whaling there effectively ceased as catches dropped sharply, although there was a brief later revival.

After whaling businesses folded, the trypot belonged to the late Keith Nuttall. He loaned it to the Pioneer Gallery, where it was placed outside. The Pioneer Gallery (originally the North Otago Pioneer Gallery) was historically housed in the first Ōamaru Courthouse (built in 1863), located on Thames Street on the site of the present-day public library.

When the gallery closed, the trypot was put into storage in a garage behind the library, where it remained until it was entrusted to Rex Stringer so it could be displayed publicly. That was how it ended up in the Oamaru Harbour area, around the time of the harbour development.

In line with the original wishes of the donor, and with the agreement of Rex Stringer, it was proposed that the trypot be relocated to one of two locations in Moeraki where existing monuments mark the establishment of the whaling station.

The concrete pad is planned to be poured during the week beginning 29 June (weather dependent) and will be left to cure for 10–14 days. Once it has hardened, the team hopes to relocate the trypot on 13 July.

And don’t worry, flax plants will be planted to fill the space left by the trypot.

What is a trypot?

A trypot is a large metal pot or cauldron historically used to render animal fat into oil or tallow. It was commonly associated with the whaling industry, where whale blubber was boiled in trypots to extract whale oil.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, trypots were often mounted at shore whaling stations or aboard whaling ships. The word comes from "try", an old term meaning to render or melt down fat.