THE TAHERETIKITIKI CANOE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2129, 11 July 1907, Page 4

THE TAHERETIKITIKI CANOE.

Once upon a time when tho Maoris lod n more sfcronuous lifo than tlio present day, representatives of tlio raco, when they fought amongst tliomselvos for supremacy, when priso dictated tho acquisition ol mucn man through much slaughter as desirable above all riches, romance was in the land. The Maori working ulong his own linos was a shipbuilder of yi® most romantic typo, and, with Ins pootical nature always uppermost in time of peaco, ho woavod about, lot ,l.ni ...,1,, Omni nreclOUS.

snips tains iimt muu«. f His labor was that of “the maker pi dug-outs with firo and adzo. 11 c attacked tree trunks, and, being an amateur in the best sense of the woi cl produced tliorefrom noble work. “i the oano<?s used for war purposes many nrp famous but fow of tlio groat ones remain. Ono of tlio largest and tost known, tlio shill of state of “King Mahuta, is Tah'erdtikitki. The groat oanoo, 84ft long,' seated 50 warriors, has a history, though not similar to that of so many other war canoes —a history of slaughter and tho acquisition of mana. Taheretikitiki’s is a story

of triumph of muscle ovor muscle, a record of regatta successes of groat rucos won and lost. Had the canoo been built more than 30 years ago it might have had a very different history. It is probably the finest existing oxamplo of the Maori w canoo, and it was a source of great interest to tho visitors to thp itxnio-

ition says the Lyttelton limes. Now “tho warriors’ crest, once became tho prido of the Waikatos, he rotting in Hagley Park, neglected, stranded, propped upon a carpenter s stool. Of tho old canoe there is little left but the tripartie neatly dovetailed hull, tho ornamental stem post, and a few thwarts. The hull, chopped from a great kauri, is last decaying at tho edges, and the ton wood, soaked by every shower, | ensures the rapid spread of the decay. | To make tho canoe seaworthy when it came to Christchurch, patches were used liberally; there were many thwarts to replace, and the badly copied slats that wero put on, under the mistaken belief that they’ iesemblod the old ones,, are pitiful. Now that Talieretikitiki is laid up. these have been fastened oil in the proper way with , cord, just as the whole canoe is laced together; but, in addition, they have been further fixed with nails, iron straps, and utilitarian bolts. Bits of zinc and sciews all enter into the modifications dictated by oxliitition requirements, and the canoe now looks as ridiculous as would a Homan gladiator wearing American shoes, and armed with a revolver. Except for these incongruous repairs, however, the beautifully proportioned canoe lacks little of its old splendour, and the clever craftsmanship, of the builders is shown in a hundred ways. . Wliat will become of Tnnerotikitiki it is hard to say. It lias been suggested tliat l it should be. stlipped of its incongruous garnislnngs, made bv modern methods, and placed ill one of the colony’s large museums, to be* a source of. interest. to all. ot pleasure to many, and of inspiration to by no means few.