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This carving in Rotorua city centre shows the renowned Te Arawa ancestor Tūtānekai playing a flute. It reflects one leisure pursuit of young Māori, that of trying to woo their sweethearts. Tūtānekai often played his kōauau, and his compositions lured his beloved Hinemoa to swim across Lake Rotorua to visit him on Mokoia Island.
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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
by Shirley Williams
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