Story: Traditional Māori games – ngā tākaro

Waka hurdle race, Ngāruawāhia, 1955

This film shows a waka hurdle race in Ngāruawāhia in the Waikato. Waka races were popular throughout Polynesia, and some Māori migration stories mention waka races in the traditional homeland of Hawaiki.

Using this item

Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: New Zealand Mirror 3. National Film Unit, 1950

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Ross Calman, Traditional Māori games – ngā tākaro – Water sports, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/39343/waka-hurdle-race-ngaruawahia-1955 (accessed 12 June 2026).

Story by Ross Calman, published 30 November 2012.