Tattoo or moko, particularly facial tattoo, had developed in New Zealand to a high degree of perfection, and a fully tattooed man presented a remarkable appearance, every portion of his face being adorned with spirals and curved lines drawn with much nicety and precision. The tattooing implement (uhi) consisted of a small adze-like shaft to which was attached a bone blade, often toothed for better incision. The blade was regularly dipped into a mixture of soot and water, the soot being obtained by burning the resinous heart wood of the white pine or, in the north, of the kauri. The tattooing artist struck the uhi with a light mallet, usually a stalk of bracken fern. The incisions were painful and most work was done over a period of time.

The hips and buttocks of men were also tattooed. These were exposed in the frenzy of the war dance. Women had tattoo confined to the chin, lips, and sometimes the centre of the forehead. Experts on women's tattoo practised using iron blades until about the turn of the century. Men with tattoo could still be seen in Wellington as late as 1918.