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Story: Ngāpuhi

The Ngātokimatawhaorua canoe

Replica of the Ngātokimatawhaorua canoe

The Matawhaorua canoe brought Kupe back to Hawaiki from the Hokianga Harbour. The canoe was re-adzed and renamed Ngātokimatawhaorua before Nukutawhiti captained it on another voyage to New Zealand. For the celebrations marking the centenary of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1940, a new Ngātokimatawhaorua was built. Here we see it being launched.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-C-014058-F

by B. Snowden

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

Rāwiri Taonui, Ngāpuhi – Canoes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4134/the-ngatokimatawhaorua-canoe (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 March 2017.

Comments

Rawiri Moetara
10 July 2024
The Waka named from Kupe was Matawhaora. After returning to Hawaiki his son Nukutawhiti did some ajustments and renamed the waka Toki matawhaorua. After taking the idea to Waitangi, the replica came about as what we know now as Ngatokimatawhaorua. Kiaora ki ona tupuna ki runga Rahiri taha rite ahau wehi Mamari te waka tana ona tupuna.
jimmy tarawa strickland
13 February 2015
I am a descendant of kupe and nukutawhiti i am from otaua where puhanga tohora resdes and remember another story that nukutawhiti captained the mamari waka with his brother inlaw ruanui. I really love this website though, tihei wa mauri ora!