Story: Bay of Plenty region

The Mataatua

The Mataatua

This canopy protects a replica of the Mataatua canoe, one of the ancestral vessels that voyaged from Hawaiki. It rests on the Whakatāne waterfront close to the Wairaka marae, with its magnificent wharenui (meeting house), also called Mataatua. This is the accepted site of the canoe’s landfall, around 700 years ago.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Photograph by Shirley Williams

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How to cite this page:

Malcolm McKinnon, 'Bay of Plenty region - Māori traditions', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/5547/the-mataatua (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, updated 1 Aug 2016