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Story: Te whānau puha – whales

Paikea on a meeting house

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Paikea on a meeting house

This carving, on top of the wharenui (meeting house) at Whāngārā, depicts the ancestor Paikea riding a whale.

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Whalerider

by Niki Caro

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How to cite this page

Bradford Haami, Te whānau puha – whales – Whales and Māori voyaging, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/9197/paikea-on-a-meeting-house (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Bradford Haami, published 2 March 2009.