OLD MAORI CANOE RETRIEVED

Chronicle (Levin), 12 March 1947, Page 5

OLD MAORI CANOE RETRIEVED

ROTORUA, March 11. There was recently dug from the eastern end of Lake Rotoiti, the forward remnant of a Maori war eanoe exactly 30 feet in length. Made of totara it is in an exeellent state of preservation as this timber keeps weJl under water. Believed to be at least 120 years old, the presence of the can.oe has been known to natives m the district apparently ever sinee it- was plaeed in the swamp with a tax>u many )rears ago. Until recently the taj>u has been strictly ob served and even wben it was required to be removed some months ago to allow the swamp to be drained, none of the villagers would touch the sunken craft until the tapu had been eeremonially removed. The eanoe recentiy found was the property of the Ngarongoiri Te Hirita family of the Ngati Kawiti sub-tribe, whose descendants still live in the pa overlooking the swamp. AJthough exact dates eaunot- be ascertained either from the family Or ofiic-ial records of the fig'hting'in tbq (Jistrict, it is-fairly -certain that the cano'fe was last uscd about 1830 in the series of wars 'hat raged between the Ngati Pikiao, wr.h whoin the Ivawitis were allied, an;i the Tuho ' rangi tribe which was headquartered at that time near the green lake. Although the complete eanoe with war head'and carved gunwales was originally placed in the swamp, the after-section plus all the decorative freeboard, was removed at some later period.