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Story: Waka – canoes

Fishing canoe

Image
Fishing canoe

This waka tētē (fishing canoe) was photographed at Auckland’s Mechanics Bay around the mid-1860s. At the prow there is a simple tētē or pakoko (stylised face with protruding tongue).

Using this item

Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tāmaki

by John Kinder

Permission of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, Waka – canoes – Waka tētē, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6010/fishing-canoe (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, published 2 March 2009.