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Story: Canoe traditions

Papaiouru marae

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Papaiouru marae

The Tamatekapua meeting house at Ōhinemutu is named after the captain of the Te Arawa canoe. The carved figure on the right is his brother, Whakatūria. Also represented are the stilts he used to raid Uenuku’s breadfruit tree in Hawaiki, the incident which ultimately sparked the migration to New Zealand. There are canoe patterns in the rafters.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: C1015

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How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Canoe traditions – Te Arawa and Tainui, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/2339/papaiouru-marae (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 4 March 2009.