MAORI WAR CANOE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 75, 21 December 1937, Page 6

MAORI WAR CANOE

Exhibit for Treaty House (By Telegraph— Press Aasociation.) KAIKOHE, Dee. 16. The first sections of the Maori war f canoe, which is being built by the Ngapuhi and Earuwa tribes, were moved from the Puketi forest this week. The £ tribes deeided last year to build the eanoe to be lodged at Treaty House, Waitangi. A permit was issued by the §5tate Forest Department in October for the removal of two giant kauris from the State forest at Puketi, and Maqri experts spent two weeks seleeting the most suitable trees, which were felled, loughly shaped and hewn The qanoe is being constructed im -three sections, and will be nearly 12Ml long. The tree for the body has- fiufF been s felled. The bow and stern sectio^S were, dragged out of the bush by a Jeam oi' 12 bullocks1 and were then lwfeed on to a truek and carted to Kerikeri, where ' they will te submerged for abeut three wffeks to season the&. This is tho Maori method of seasoning — forcing the sap out by water to prfevent splitting. After seasoning the hollowed-out see-. tions will be towed to Waitangi, where they will be carved. Judge F. O. V. Acheson is at the head of the movement Tesponsible for the building of the canoe, and operations are being supervised by Hohepa Heperi.