Skip to main content

Story: Te Arawa

Te Ara turapa panel

Image
Te Ara turapa panel

This turapa (tukutuku) pattern, called Te Ara, is unique to Te Arawa. It symbolises the voyage of the canoe Te Arawa from Taputapuatea to Maketū 26 generations ago.

Using this item

Paul Tapsell

by Quentin Tapsell

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Paul Tapsell, Te Arawa – Origins, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1507/te-ara-turapa-panel (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Paul Tapsell, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 March 2017.