Story: Te whānau puha – whales

Beached whales, Ōpoutere

Beached whales, Ōpoutere

These pilot whales (ūpokohue) have beached at Ōpoutere, South Auckland. Traditionally, whales were perceived as aristocratic. A sight such as this gave rise to the saying, ‘He paenga pakake’ (a group of beached whales) – describing a number of chiefs who had fallen on the battlefield.

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New Zealand Herald
Reference: 1 December 2004

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Bradford Haami, 'Te whānau puha – whales - Whales and Māori society', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/9202/beached-whales-opoutere (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Bradford Haami, published 12 Jun 2006