Story: Waka – canoes

Māui fishes up the North Island

Māui fishes up the North Island

With the help of his brothers, the mythical hero Māui fishes up Te Ika-roa-a-Māui (Māui’s great fish) – now known as the North Island of New Zealand. In some traditions, his waka (canoe) became the South Island, known as Te Waka a Māui. In others, it is known as Nukutaimemeha, and is said to reside on the summit of Hikurangi, the ancestral mountain of the Ngāti Porou tribe.

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Learning Media Ltd
Reference: Eke Panuku 14, Wellington: Learning Media Ltd, 2004.
Artwork by Manu Smith

This material is reproduced by permission of the publishers, Learning Media Ltd, PO Box 3293, Wellington, New Zealand.

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How to cite this page:

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, 'Waka – canoes - Pacific origins', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/5982/maui-fishes-up-the-north-island (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, published 12 Jun 2006