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Story: Crabs, rock lobsters and other crustaceans

At the crayfish hole

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At the crayfish hole

In the picture book Crayfishing with grandmother, by Jill Bagnall with Māori text by Hapi Potae, the old grandmother finds a crayfish hole in a rock pool near her home and shows her grandson Wira how to catch a cray by hand:

‘Here’s the crayfish hole,’ called Grandmother softly. Wira stood and looked into the deep blue hole …

Carefully Grandmother lowered herself into the water, her fingers holding the edge of the rock. Then she took a deep breath and dived.

Ka āta karanga te Tipuna, ‘Anei te rua, anei te rua kōura.’ Ka tū a Wira, ka titiro ki te kōpua …

Tūpato te whakaheke a te Tipuna i a ia ki roto i te wai, ā, ko ōna ringa e pupuri ana ki te mata o te toka. Ka hā ia, ā, ka tūpou.

Using this item

HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand

Reference: Jill Bagnall and Hapi Potae, Crayfishing with grandmother. Auckland: Collins, 1975

by Barbara Strathdee

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

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How to cite this page

Niel Bruce and Alison MacDiarmid, Crabs, rock lobsters and other crustaceans – Rock lobster fishing, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/8239/at-the-crayfish-hole (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Niel Bruce and Alison MacDiarmid, published 2 March 2009.