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Story: Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration

Lake Taupō

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Lake Taupō

This satellite image shows Lake Taupō. The lake’s full name is Taupō-nui-a-Tia (the rain cloak of Tia). Tia was one of the great explorers of the Taupō area, and the name originally referred to cliffs that resembled his cloak.

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NASA - JSC Digital Image Collection

Reference: ISS005-E-21107

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How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration – Te Arawa explorers, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/14140/lake-taupo (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 1 March 2009.