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Story: Te hopu tuna – eeling

Hīnaki (eel pots)

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Hīnaki (eel pots)

Hīnaki came in a variety of shapes and sizes. The long, thin hīnaki in the middle would be used in rivers or streams with firm beds. The one on the right was designed for lakes or lagoons with soft, muddy beds – its rounded sides lifted the entrance out of the mud.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/1-007414-G

by Samuel Heath Head

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.

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Te hopu tuna – eeling – Hīnaki – eel pots, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/13975/hinaki-eel-pots (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 2 March 2009.