Skip to main content

Story: Whenua – how the land was shaped

Sails of a canoe

Image
Sails of a canoe

This 1838 painting of Poverty Bay by Joel Polack shows a traditional canoe with sails. Their distinctive triangular shape inspired the naming of Ngā Rā o Kupe (Kupe’s Sails) at Palliser Bay.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0115-2-120

by Joel Samuel Polack

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Whenua – how the land was shaped – Kupe, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/6727/sails-of-a-canoe (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 2 March 2009.