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Story: Tāwhirimātea – the weather

Rainbow

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Rainbow

There are numerous names and traditions relating to the rainbow, commonly known as aniwaniwa or aheahea. Sometimes it is referred to as an atua piko – a curved deity. The personified forms of the rainbow are Kahukura, Uenuku and Haere.

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GNS Science

Reference: CN45107/14

by Lloyd Homer

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Tāwhirimātea – the weather – Cold weather, mist and rainbows, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/8293/rainbow (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 March 2022.

Comments

yvonne keen
04 December 2014
Ka mau te wehi