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Story: Whanganui region

Tamatea’s cave

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Tamatea’s cave

A great early explorer of the Whanganui River was Tamatea-pōkaiwhenua, captain of the Tākitimu canoe. His name is commemorated in a cave on the upper reaches of the river. This photograph was taken from inside the cave.

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Private collection

by David Young

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How to cite this page

Diana Beaglehole, Whanganui region – Māori tradition, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/19017/tamateas-cave (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Diana Beaglehole, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 June 2015.