Palace of Putangitangi

The Palace of Putangitangi is the official residence and workplace of the Emperor of Polynesia and the Royal House of Ahua. It is located in the capital city of Tokapa, Tokamotu, The Oan Isles.

The Palace is also the headquarters of the Order of the Blue Macaw

The Palace was first built as the Caste of Putangitangi in 995 by Ahua the Great. The Castle was named after the adjoining lake called Lake Putangitangi which was in turn named after the Oan word for a cormorant.

Uses

The Palace is used by the Emperor as his primary place of residence and of work. The Serene Court is housed in the Palace. Cremated remains of deceased members of the Serene Family are kept in a tomb on the grounds. The Palace is partly open to the public as a museum and public park. Entry to public areas of the Palace is free. Access to some exhibitions and the green house requires visitors to purchase a ticket. The Serene Court also holds various events for the public in the Central Palace. The Emperor often receives ambassadors and foreign guests in the Throne and hosts parties to entertain foreign guests of the government. Usually, foreign VIPs do not stay at the Palace during their stay unless personally invited by the Emperor or Serene Consort.

Location and access

The Palace is located in the Putangitangi area of Tokapa. Its official address is 1 Putangitangi Place, Tokapa. It lies 1.2 kilometres from the Central Tokapa Railway Station and another 18 kilometers from the Tokapa International Airport. The Palace also lies a walking distance from Lake Putangitangi. This body of water is not part of the Palace grounds but is regarded as a very important part of Mauist beliefs and the history of the monarchy.

Buildings

There are several buildings on the grounds of the Palace of Putangitangi.

The Central Palace is the main building. It has a steep roof that resembles traditional Polynesian architecture. It has an outer wooden frame that is decorated with intricate geometric patterns. Large pillars connect the wooden frame and give variety and form to the façade. Most of these features and decorative. The real building is made from stone and concrete. The building was burnt down several times in its history, leading to its final form of stone and concrete to prevent the building from burning again. The roof is made from shingles that resemble grass thatch. The Central Palace contains important rooms such as the Throne Room, State Dining Room, Banquet Hall, and Council Hall, and Serene Museum. The Serene Museum is open to the public everyday except Sunday and contains rare works of art, artefacts and the Emperor's armory. It also houses the Crown Jewels Collection underground. The Central Palace faces north and lies at the centre of the complex.

The Eastern Palace contains the royal apartments and living quarters for courtiers. It includes private amenities for the Emperor and royal family as well as areas for entertaining guests and hosting small gatherings. The Eastern Palace is connected perpendicular to the Central Palace. The Eastern Palace is made for comfort and includes the functional facilities such as laundry, bakery, kitchen and other amenities. The Eastern Palace is closer to the public all year round. It has some prominent rooms such as the Hall of Gifts, where gifts to the monarch such as paintings, porcelain and ceramic vases and crockery, tapestries, and statues are kept. Not all gifts have been put on display and most are in storage for much of the year. Some gifts are displayed by the Serene Museum in the Central Palace.

Administrative Building is located adjacent to the Eastern Building and is also closed to the public. The Administrative Building houses the security, information technology infrastructure and administration required by the monarchy. The building contains mostly offices, boardrooms and facilities for staff such as changing rooms, tea rooms and a cafeteria. This building is entirely functional and was built by Emperor Tamatea III as the Central Palace was getting cramped. It is built in a Polynesian adaptation of the modernist style such as the use of Polynesian art and use of foliage and water features.

The Shrine of Ahua the Great is a shrine named after all Emperors. It sits atop the underground Serene Tomb which contains the cremated remains of members of the Serene Family including former Emperors. The Shrine is managed by Mauist priests and monks. They administer daily prayers, sacrifices and light incense, and other religious rituals. They also maintain the Serene Tomb. Members of the public and royal family visit the Shrine to pay their respects to departed royals. Nevertheless, only members of the Serene Family are allowed inside the Tomb without special permission. It holds sacred artefacts such as the shrunken head of Ahua the Great, ancient texts from the founding of Mauism and other paraphenalia. This Shrine is a major site of pilgrimage among believers in the Mauist religion.

Gardens

The Serene Gardens are the personal garden of the monarch and are only open to the public once a week. The Serene Gardens span 20 hectares (49.2 acres).

The Staynish garden forms the eastern portion of the Serene Gardens. It consists of precisely laid flowerbeds, carefully trimmed hedge bushes, sprawling lawns, pavilions, large fountains and stone statues and perfectly straight stone walking paths. The gardens were commissioned by Emperor Mikaere to emulate the prestige of the gardens at the Sani Bursil Royal Palace which he had seen on a visit there. They were laid by Staynish landscape architect Sir Edmund Norfolk wo had created gardens for Staynish aristocrats such as Brighteham House of the Fairbrook family.

The Polynesian Garden is the largest garden. It consists of thick leafy vegetation, flowing streams of water, man-made waterfalls, pavilions made in the Polynesian style, ornately carved stone columns and wooden posts and meandering curving roads. The garden has been the continuous work of multiple renowned landscape architects. A variety of styles can be seen depicting the evolution of Polynesian gardening practices such as the twisting paths which emulate a forest as advocated by naturalist Tupoumahe Opakahina. The garden is considered a paragon of Polynesian gardening and land use. The gardens have many tropical fruit trees such as cashew trees, lichi trees, coconut palm trees and more.

The Vistaran Garden is small, but is very beautiful and colorful. It was commissioned by Serene Consort Catherine of Staynes who had fallen in love with the garden at the Grand Duke's Palace at Milba. This garden has lots of colorful plants laid in intricate patterns. This is also the hardest garden to maintain as the flowers must be regularly replaced and old plants must be uprooted. The Vistaran Garden was completed by Hendrick van der Stell and the van der Stell family has been in charge of the upkeep of the garden ever since.