Story: Māori foods – kai Māori

Storage pit designs (2nd of 2)

Storage pit designs

Kūmara growers developed sophisticated systems for growing and preserving a crop that was not native to New Zealand. These diagrams show the main types of rua kūmara (storage pits). They were either dug into a bank (1) or dug out in a bell shape (2). Drainage channels (3 and 4) were often added. Large pits had a pitched roof supported on poles (4 and 5). Sometimes small pits (6) were dug in the open, or inside houses and larger pits.

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Source: Janet Davidson, Prehistory of New Zealand. Auckland: Longman Paul, 1987

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How to cite this page:

Charles Royal and Jenny Kaka-Scott, 'Māori foods – kai Māori - Traditional cooking and preserving', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/diagram/40256/storage-pit-designs (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Charles Royal and Jenny Kaka-Scott, published 5 Sep 2013