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Story: Waka – canoes

Waka tīwai

Image
Waka tīwai

This plain dugout canoe, waka tīwai, is a simple design based around a hollowed out log. It represents the earliest form of canoe in the Pacific, before the development of outriggers and double hulled canoes.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: F.006489/05

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, Waka – canoes – Pacific origins, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/5983/waka-tiwai (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, published 2 March 2009.

Comments

e
18 July 2013
looks cool