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Story: Whakairo – Māori carving

Uenuku

Uenuku

This ancient representation of the rainbow god Uenuku is one of the greatest taonga of the Tainui people. It is thought to date from about 1400, and is unlike all other known Māori carvings but resembles some Hawaiian traditional carvings. Uenuku was lost during a tribal battle around 1780 and rediscovered in 1906, buried on the shore of Lake Ngāroto, near Te Awamutu. The 2.7-metre-high carving was included in the acclaimed 1984 Te Maori exhibition. It is shown here, adorned with a feather cloak, in the Te Awamutu Museum in 1975. 

Using this item

Te Awamutu Museum

Reference: 2102

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How to cite this page

Brett Graham, Whakairo – Māori carving – Carving before 1500, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/43062/uenuku (accessed 18 June 2026).

Story by Brett Graham, published 21 October 2013.

Comments

Chris Hickson
17 August 2024
A friend pointed me to this item when I asked if anyone had heard the story about this carving. I believe I was told at university by one of the tutors that the well know carving with the prongs on top (as featured) was refound after a fire by people who saw this mysterious shape in the distance glowing after a fire. I am wondering if this was part of Uenuku's story.