The first carving tells the story of Tarawa, who sailed with his brother Tāwharanui from Hawaiki. They brought two pet tānahanaha fish and released them in a small spring close by. The spring became known as Ōpōtiki-mai-tawhiti, ‘two pets from afar’, and the name of Ōpōtiki township recalls the event. The carving also shows the two voyaging canoes, Te Arautauta and Te Tohorā.
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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Photograph by Shirley Williams
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