After the tōtara or kauri trunks were felled, some ingenuity was needed to shift the massive logs. In the poipoi method, the men would drill a hole in each end of the log, insert large saplings, and then tie ropes to them. In the takawhiti method, a long pole was lashed to one side of the log and fixed with two cross-pieces at either end. The cross-pieces were tied together on the other side with rope. Two ropes were lashed to the pole and used to haul the logs.
Using this item
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference:
Elsdon Best, The Maori canoe. Wellington: Dominion Museum, 1925, p. 91
Pencil sketch by A. H. Messenger
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