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Story: Mātaitai – shellfish gathering

Shellfish from the rocks

Image
Shellfish from the rocks

To prise the harvest from the rocks, this woman is using a tomahawk. Her kete (basket) is used to hold the shellfish.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-008468-G

by Frank J. Denton

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Mere Whaanga, Mātaitai – shellfish gathering – Customary harvest and conservation today, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8110/shellfish-from-the-rocks (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Mere Whaanga, published 2 March 2009.