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Story: Otago places

Māori rock art

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Māori rock art
These striking red figures in a rock shelter at Takiroa, near Duntroon, are probably several hundred years old. The paintings may represent people and a taniwha (water spirit). The limestone provided an ideal surface for painting with red ochre and bird fat.

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Malcolm McKinnon, Otago places – North Otago, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/22741/maori-rock-art (accessed 18 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 19 August 2009, updated 1 July 2015.