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Story: Ngā tamariki

Moari

This 1847 painting by George French Angas shows the ‘Native swing' or moari. It was sited next to the at Ōhinemutu, beside Lake Rotorua, and children could swing out over the water and drop into the lake. Moari were also used in a rite for warriors returning from battle.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0014-53

by George French Angas

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Rawinia Higgins me Paul Meredith, Ngā tamariki – Māori children’s upbringing, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/30545/moari (accessed 14 June 2026).

Story by Rawinia Higgins me Paul Meredith, published 3 May 2011.