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Story: Kiore – Pacific rats

Tāwhiti makamaka

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Tāwhiti makamaka

This portable trap is the tāwhiti makamaka, made of mānuka bark, aka pirita (supplejack) and muka (flax fibre). A kiore would chew through the cord to reach the bait. When the cord snapped, the bent stick would spring up and trap the rat in a loop inside the trap.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: ME023624

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

Bradford Haami, Kiore – Pacific rats – Hunting and eating kiore, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/16125/tawhiti-makamaka (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Bradford Haami, published 1 March 2009.