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Story: Ngā tāone nui – Māori and the city

Māori waka in Auckland Harbour, 1853

Māori ferry goods to market by waka (canoe). Māori supplied the early towns and cities with most of their goods and produce.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: A-004-005

by Patrick Joseph Hogan

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Aroha Harris, Ngā tāone nui – Māori and the city – Cities and Māori land, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/24840/maori-waka-in-auckland-harbour-1853 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Aroha Harris, published 24 January 2011, updated 1 September 2024.