SEARCH PROPOSED FOR REMAINS OF TAINUI CANOE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 87, 18 January 1950, Page 5

SEARCH PROPOSED FOR REMAINS OF TAINUI CANOE

A proposal by the Maoris at Kawhia to remove the remains of the sacred relic from its supposed resting place at Maketu pa to Ngaruawahia may settle the old argument whether the Tainui canoe which brought the ancestors of the Waikato tribe to New Zealand lies petrified in a piece of ground near Kawhia township.

While most Europeans regard the claim as a myth, the Maoris firmly believe the tradition that the canoe was buried there and has since turned to stone. V Search Suggested

The elders of Kawhia have suggested to Princess Te Puea, who is a descendant of Hoturoa, the commander .of Tainui, that she should uncover the hull of the canoe. They have agreed to instal the relic at King Koroki’s house, at Ngaruawahia for the celebrations which will be held in December this year to commemorate the coming of the Maoris to New Zealand in 1350. Princess Te Puea has refused the invitation to disturb the remains. She says the place where the Tainui lies is sacred and that it would be an infringement of ancient Maori law to desecrate the grave where the canoe has been lying for 600 years. Apparently there are no Maoris in the Waikato possessing the necessary prestige who, are willing personally to uncover the remains of the canoe. InS any case, it is suggested that a suitable ceremony would be needed before this highly tapu relic could be touched.

Whether the canoe actually lies at Kawhia is the subject of much argument. Although the Maoris have never attempted to uncover the remains, which they believed to be there, there are some who claim that the hull was revealed many years ago by a landslide. A party of Europeans armed with spades once attempted to dig up the Tainui, but were prevented by the JMaketu Maoris, who are the traditional guardians of the canoe.

Closely-Guarded Spot The spot where the Tainui is said to have been buried is in a grove of manuka trees near the sea. The stones which the occupants are supposed to have erected at its bow and stern still stand there. They are enclosed with a barbed wire fence to ensure that nobody walks on the sacred ground. This concession by the Kawhia Maoris to'allow a search to be made for the remains of the canoe follows a request to the Maoris at Mokau to permit the Tainui anchor stone to be taken from there to Ngaruawahia. An appeal' by Princess Te Puea to have the stone transferred has not been replied to, but the proposal is supported by the refet of the Waikato tribe. The Mokau Maoris jealously guard the relic, which they- set in concrete several years ago. Princess Te Puea has offered a finely-carved monument to replace the anchor stone if it. is brought to Ngaruawahia. Tainui Relics Meanwhile Princess Te Puea is assembling as many Tainui relics as she can gather in the meeting house, Mahinarangi, for the celebrations. She has obtained the top of the rock; to which the Tainui was moored when it its first landfall. at Whangaparaoa on the east coast. It is a piece of sandstone weighing several pounds. The rock tb which it was attached has always been known to the east coast Maoris as the Tainui rock.

Another rock which Princess Te Puea has acquired is a rectangular piece of granite Which was part of the ballast of the Tainui left ..at Matakana Island, near Tauranga. It was sent to! Ngaruawahia by the elders of Ngaeterangi at Tauranga. Both relics rest in the meeting house beside a piece of stone from the historic temple of Taputapuatea in the Society Islands, from where the canoes left on the voyage to New Zealand.