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Māori star compass

Māori star compass

Māori star compass

Te kapehu whetū – the Māori star compass – divides the 360 degrees around a canoe in the open ocean into different whare (houses). The location of these houses depends on where the sun, moon and stars set and rise. The navigator then attempts to keep the canoe on a course relative to these observations.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

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