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Story: When was New Zealand first settled?

Double-hulled canoe, Tonga, 1790s

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Double-hulled canoe, Tonga, 1790s

This depiction of a double-hulled canoe, by a French artist, shows a group of Tongan men and women and one European man on board. The vessel has a platform joining the two hulls with a wooden frame that allows the crew to sit on two levels. When Polynesians settled New Zealand in the late 1200s they sailed from East Polynesia in double-hulled canoes.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: B-112-011

by Piron

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

Geoff Irwin and Carl Walrond, When was New Zealand first settled? – The date debate, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/4257/double-hulled-canoe-tonga-1790s (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Geoff Irwin and Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 May 2016.