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Kōrero: Cook Islanders

Rarotongans at Tokomaru Bay, 1934

Image
Rarotongans at Tokomaru Bay, 1934

The Cook Islands are one of the most likely origins of the Māori people. In 1934 the New Zealand government paid £1, 500 for 30 Cook Islanders to attend the opening of the Treaty House at Waitangi. They also visited Tokomaru Bay, giving the Ngāti Porou marae there a second name – Te Hono ki Rarotonga (that which binds us to Rarotonga).

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Tairawhiti Museum, Te Whare Taonga O Te Tairawhiti

Permission of Tairawhiti Museum, PO Box 716, Gisborne, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Carl Walrond, Cook Islanders – Culture, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/867/rarotongans-at-tokomaru-bay-1934 (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Carl Walrond, i tāngia i te 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.