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Story: Canoe traditions

Whale rider (Te kaieke tohorā)

Video file

Niki Caro’s feature film Whale rider, which won international awards, drew on the Paikea story and was set in Whāngārā, where Paikea eventually landed. This brief clip from the film shows the carving of Paikea on the meeting house at Whāngārā.

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Whalerider

by Niki Caro

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How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Canoe traditions – Canoes of the East Coast, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/2353/whale-rider-te-kaieke-tohora (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 4 March 2009.