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Story: Taniwha

'He tarakona'

'He tarakona'

In 1846, Mananui Te Heuheu Tūkino II and his followers were killed by a landslide on Kākaramea mountain, above Waihī. Te Rangikāheke, a Ngāti Rangiwewehi scholar, suggested that the landslide had been caused by a taniwha. He sketched out what it looked like, and noted that this was what Europeans referred to as a ‘tarakona’ (a transliteration of ‘dragon’).

About this item

Auckland City Libraries - Tamaki Pataka Korero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: 7-A3159

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tamaki Pataka Korero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

How to cite this page:

Basil Keane. 'Taniwha', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 25-Sep-11
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/taniwha/4/3