Story: Taniwha

Tāmure and Kaiwhare

Tāmure and Kaiwhare

Tāmure wrestles with Kaiwhare, a man-eating taniwha who lived in an underwater cave at Piha. Tāmure lived at Hauraki and was reputed to have a mere pounamu (greenstone weapon) with the power to defeat any taniwha. He came to Piha at the request of the local people and fought the creature. He hit it with the mere, and though he did not kill it, its wounds prevented it from eating people. From then on it lived on crayfish and octopus.

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Waiatarua Publishing
Reference: Ron Bacon, A Tamure me te taniwha. Auckland: Waiatarua, 1996, pp. 12-13
Artwork by Manu Smith

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How to cite this page:

Basil Keane, 'Taniwha - Taniwha slayers', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/10896/tamure-and-kaiwhare (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Basil Keane, published 24 Sep 2007