Story: Ngā tupu mai i Hawaiki – plants from Polynesia

Digging with the kō

This 1907 painting by Gottfried Lindauer shows Māori men digging a kūmara garden with kō (digging sticks). These kō have the teka, an attached foot tread.

Using this item

Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tāmaki

by Gottfried Lindauer

Permission of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Louise Furey, Ngā tupu mai i Hawaiki – plants from Polynesia – From Polynesia to New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/17495/digging-with-the-ko (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Louise Furey, published 1 March 2009.