''Tākitimu'' was a ''
waka'' (canoe) with ''
whakapapa
Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...
'' throughout the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
particularly with
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
, the
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...
, and
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in ancient times. In several
Māori traditions, the ''Tākitimu'' was one of the great
Māori migration ships that brought
Polynesian migrants to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
from
Hawaiki
(also rendered as in the Cook Islands, Hawaiki in Māori, in Samoan, in Tahitian, in Hawaiian) is, in Polynesian folklore, the original home of the Polynesians, before dispersal across Polynesia. It also features as the underworld in man ...
. The canoe was said to have been captained by Tamatea.
Cook Islands Māori traditions
The ''Tākitumu'' was an important waka in the Cook Islands with one of the districts on the main island of
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...
consequently named after it.
Sir Tom Davis, a former prime minister of the Cook Islands, wrote, in the form of a novel, an account of 300 years of voyaging of the ''Tākitumu'' by his own forebears as told in their traditions.
New Zealand Māori traditions
The ''Tākitimu'' appears in many traditions around New Zealand. Most accounts agree that the ''Tākitimu'' was a sacred canoe. Many also give the name of the captain as "Tamatea", although in different forms. (He is not to be confused with
Tama-te-kapua
In Māori mythology, Māori tradition of New Zealand, Tama-te-kapua, also spelt Tamatekapua and Tama-te-Kapua and also known as Tama, was the captain of the ''Arawa (canoe), Arawa'' canoe which came to New Zealand from Polynesia in about 1350. A ...
, who sailed the ''
Arawa'' to New Zealand.)
Traditions of the East Coast
East Cape
The Takitimu waka landed at Whangaōkena (East Cape), Ūawa (Tolaga Bay), Tūranganui (Gisborne), Nukutaurua (on Māhia Peninsula) and other points further south along the East Coast.
Te Māhia accounts
Accounts from the northern East Coast indicate that the ''Tākitimu'' left Hawaiki after two brothers, Ruawharo and Tūpai, took the canoe from their enemies and escaped to New Zealand. The vessel landed on the
Māhia Peninsula
Māhia Peninsula () is located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, in the Hawke's Bay region, between the towns of Wairoa and Gisborne.
It includes Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1, located near Ahuriri Point at the southern tip ...
(Te Māhia) and the crew dispersed: Ruawharo stayed at Te Māhia, a man named Puhiariki went to
Muriwhenua
Muriwhenua are a group of northern Māori people, Māori iwi, based in Te Hiku o te Ika, the northernmost part of New Zealand's North Island. It consists of six iwi, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Takoto, Te Pātū, Ngāti Kahu, Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa, w ...
in present-day
Northland, while others moved to
Tauranga
Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...
.
Ngāti Kahungunu accounts
A Ngāti Kahungunu account of the ''Tākitimu'' is given by J. H. Mitchell, according to whom the explorer
Hoaki and his brother Taukata had travelled to New Zealand from Hawaiki in the ''Tutara-kauika'', searching for their sister Kanioro, who had been abducted and taken there by Pou-rangahau. They returned in the ''Te Ara-Tawhao'' seeking
kumara seeds and bearing the news that the islands were sparsely populated. This inspired Tamatea, the Arikinui ("great chieftain"), who led the tribes of Ngāti Hukumoana, Ngāti Hakuturi, and Ngāti Tutakahinahina, which lived in the villages of Whangara, Pakarae, and Rehuroa, to build a canoe and lead a migration to New Zealand.
Construction and launching

Tamatea ordered the construction of ''Tākitimu''. It was made by three craftsmen, called Ruawharo, Tupai, and Te Rongo Putahi. The initial work was done on Titirangi hill, the later work at Tamatea's house in Whangara. Four stones, Kohurau, Ka-ra, Anewa, and
Pounamu
Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture.
Name
The Māori word ...
were used to make five adzes, named Te Awhiorangi, Tewhironui, Rakuraku o Tawhaki, Matangirei, and Hui-te-rangiora. Te Awhiorangi, the most sacred of these adzes, was used by Tamatea to ceremonially cut through the waves, clearing the way for the canoe to travel over the sea. The canoe was first roughly shaped at Titirangi hill and then taken to Tamatea's house at Whangara, where the carving was completed in an extremely sacred enclosure which was off limits to women and commoners. The craftsmen and their tools had to be specially purified in water when their work was over; J. H. Mitchell records the
karakia
Karakia are Māori incantations and prayer used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection.[tohunga
In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...]
(high priest) during this work. All the chips and sawdust from the canoe had to be ritually burnt, because it was too sacred to be used for any other purpose.
Tamatea and Ruawharo consecrated the ''Tākitimu'' by singing a ''karakia'' which J. H. Mitchell records and pouring a calabash of water over the bow. Then four rollers, called Te Tahuri, Mounukuhia, Mouhapainga, and Manutawhiorangi were used to launch the canoe into the Pikopiki-i-whiti
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
. After this, it was taken in the night to Te-whetu-Matarau and the tohunga Ruawharo cast various protective spells for the boat, one of which J. H. Mitchell records. J. H. Mitchell forcefully denies stories that Ruawharo alone or with his brother Tupai stole the ''Tākitimu'' from the tribes of Te Tini-o-Pekerangi, Te Tini-o-Whakarauatupa, Te Tini-o-Makehukuhu, and Te Tini-o-Tutakahinahina.
=Description and crew
=
The ''Takitimu'' was a large, single-rigger canoe. It consisted of ''rauawa'' (boards attached above the hull), ''haumi'' (extensions to the front and back of the boat), ''taumanu'' (
thwart
A thwart is a part of an undecked boat that provides seats for the crew and structural rigidity for the hull. A thwart goes from one side of the hull to the other. There may be just one thwart in a small boat, or many in a larger boat, especially ...
s), a ''kāraho'' or ''rahoraho'' (deck), a ''tauihu'' (
figurehead
In politics, a figurehead is a practice of who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet '' de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that ...
), ''rapa'' (
sternpost
A sternpost is the upright structural member or post at the aft end of a ship or a boat, to which are attached the transoms and the rearmost part of the stern.
The sternpost may either be completely vertical or may be tilted or "raked" slight ...
), ''whitikotuku'' (frame for an awning), ''tira'' (masts), ''puhi'' (plumes of feathers), ''kārewa'' (buoys) and ''hoe'' (paddles). The canoe had six ceremonial paddles: Rapanga-i-te-atinuku, Rapanga-i-te-ati-rangi, Maninikura, Maniniaro, Tangiwiwini, and Tangi-wawana. There were two
bailers: Tipuahoronuku and Tipuahororangi.
At the front of the canoe there was a space for the sacred objects in which the
atua
Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian people such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ). The literal meaning of the Polynesian word is "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Many of the atua ...
(gods) of the people resided. These objects represented
Ranginui
In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa (or Ranginui and Papatūānuku) appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world and the Māori people (though there are many different versions). In some South Island dialects, Ran ...
(the sky) and
Paptuanuku (the Earth). The objects also represented a number of spirits that protected the ''Takitimu'' on its voyage:
* Two ''
tipua
In Māori mythology
Māori mythology and Māori traditions are two major categories into which the remote oral history of New Zealand's Māori people, Māori may be divided. Māori myths concern tales of supernatural events relating to the or ...
'' Ruamano and Te Araiteuru,
* Four ''pakake'' (whales): Hine-korito, Hine-kotea, Hine-makehu, and Hine-huruhuru
* Three
taniwha
In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves).
They may be considered highly respecte ...
: Te Wehenga kauika, Rua-riki and Maurea
* Tunui-e-te-Ika, Te Po-tuatini, Moko and other spirits.
The ''Takitimu'' was too sacred for women, commoners, children, or cooked food to be allowed onto it, so the crew consisted entirely of prestigious men:
*
Tamatea Arikinui
Tamatea Arikinui or Tamatea Mai-Tawhiti was a Māori people, Māori ''ariki'' (chieftain), who captained the ''Tākitimu'' canoe on its journey from Hawaiki to New Zealand, where he settled at Tauranga and became the ancestor of the Ngāti Kahungu ...
, the captain of the canoe until it reached
Tauranga
Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...
, who had his seat at the stern and held the ceremonial paddles Rapanga-i-te-atinuku and Rapanga-i-te-ati-rangi.
* Ruawharo, the main tohunga, who had his seat at the bow and held the ceremonial paddles Maninikura and Maniniaro.
* Tupai, brother of Ruawharo, another tohunga, who held the ceremonial paddles Tangiwiwini and Tangi-wawana.
*
Tahu Pōkai, ancestor of
Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...
, the captain of the canoe after it reached Tauranga.
Journey to New Zealand
''Tākitimu'' travelled from Hawaiki to
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...
in three days. J. H. Mitchell follows
Percy Smith in making the ship part of the
Great Fleet
Great may refer to:
Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
* Artel Great (bo ...
, but says that because it was a single-rigger canoe, it proved faster than the rest of the canoes and left them behind. ''Tākitimu'' made the journey from Rarotonga to New Zealand in only eleven days. A shortage of food forced the crew to pray to
Tangaroa
Tangaroa (Māori; Takaroa in the South Island dialect; cognate with Tagaloa in Sāmoan) is the great atua of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them, especially fish, in Māori mythology. As Tangaroa-whakamau-tai, he exercis ...
and
Tāne
In Māori mythology, Tāne (also called Tāne-mahuta, Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, Tāne-te-waiora and several other names) is the god of forests and of birds, and the son of Rangi and Papa, Ranginui and Rangi and Papa, Papatūānuku, the sky father and th ...
, who provided them with raw fish and birds to eat.
The ''Tākitimu'' arrived at
Awanui
Awanui is an historical river port in the far north of New Zealand, on the banks of the Awanui River just before it flows into Rangaunu Bay. Awanui lies at the south end of the Aupouri Peninsula in the Far North District Council of the Northlan ...
at the base of the
Aupōuri Peninsula
The Aupōuri Peninsula is a tombolo at the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It projects between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It constitutes the northern part of the Far North District, incorpora ...
in
Northland. Some members of the crew settled in this location, but Tamatea led most of the crew continued around
North Cape, and along the east coast of the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
until they reached
Tauranga
Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...
. Here Tamatea left the ''Tākitimu'', entrusting the command to Tahu, whom he instructed to find a source of ''
pounamu
Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture.
Name
The Māori word ...
'' or greenstone (nephrite jade).
As ''Tākitimu'' travelled along the east coast, the crew stopped at various locations and gave them names. These included
Hikurangi
Hikurangi is a settlement in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. The city of Whangārei is to the south, and Kawakawa, New Zealand, Kawakawa is northwest. The Glenbervie Forest is southeast of the settlement. New Zealand State Highway ...
, named after a mountain on Hawaiki,
Whāngārā, and the
Pakarae River.
Titirangi hill in modern
Gisborne was named after the hill on which the ''Tākitimu'' had been built. The tohunga on the ''Tākitimu'' conducted fire rituals that placed the ''
mauri
Mauri (from which derives the English term "Moors") was the Latin designation for the Berber population of Mauretania, located in the west side of North Africa on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Mauretania Tingitana and Mauretania Caesarien ...
'' (life force) of their traditional knowledge in the land at locations which later became the sites of ''
whare wānanga'' (centres of traditional learning).
When the ''Tākitimu'' reached Te Papa, near Oraka on Nukutaurua (the
Māhia Peninsula
Māhia Peninsula () is located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, in the Hawke's Bay region, between the towns of Wairoa and Gisborne.
It includes Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1, located near Ahuriri Point at the southern tip ...
), the tohunga Ruawharo left the canoe to settle. At the island of
Waikawa at the south end of the Māhia Peninsula, the crew established an important shrine, which was later the site of a ''whare wānanga'' called Ngaheru-mai-tawhiti, which J. H. Mitchell says became the chief source of ''mauri'' for the whole East Coast.
At
Wairoa
Wairoa is the largest town in the Wairoa District and the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mā ...
, the ''Tākitimu'' went up the
Wairoa River to Makeakea, now the site of ''Tākitimu''
marae
A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
. One of the canoe's rollers fell into the river and transformed into a taniwha. Later, part of this roller was recovered and used by a ''
rangatira
In Māori culture, () are tribal chiefs, the leaders (often hereditary)
of a (subtribe or clan). Ideally, were people of great practical wisdom who held authority () on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land ( ...
'' named Kopu Parapara to build a house at Te Hatepe, which inherited the ''tapu'' of the ''Tākitimu''. This house was relocated to
Waihirere, but it had become derelict by 1898 and was burnt down. In 1926 it was decided to build the ''Tākitimu''
marae
A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...
on this site as a successor to this aspect of the ''Tākitimu'' canoe.
As the ''Tākitimu'' passed the mouth of the
Waikari River, the tohunga Tupai saw a mountain inland. He lifted up a ''pāpāuma'' (a magical wooden carving representing birds), which transformed into a living bird and flew to the top of the mountain, causing it to make a rumbling sound. The mountain was named
Maungaharuru ("rumbling mountain") as a result.
When the canoe reached the
Wairarapa
The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...
region, Tupai left the canoe to settle. Here he established a ''whare wānanga'', where he later educated
Rongokako, the son of Tamatea Arikinui.
None of the remaining crew had the power to maintain the special ''tapu'' of the ''Tākitimu'', so it became a ''paraheahea'' (ordinary, non-sacred canoe). Despite this, Tahu Pōkai led the ''Tākitimu'' onward to the
Arahura River
The Arahura River, for a time called the Brunner River after the explorer Thomas Brunner, is a river located on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. In 1846, Brunner and Heaphy sketched and described a Māori settlement they ca ...
on the west coast of the
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
, where he found the source of pounamu which he had sought. The ''Tākitimu'' was deposited on a flat ledge in the river, where it turned to stone.
J. H. Mitchell reports a story that
T. W. Ratana attempted to visit the site of the ''Tākitimu'' in the early twentieth century, but was thwarted by a supernatural fog.
Traditions of the Bay of Plenty
The tribes of the Tauranga region refer to the canoe as ''Takitimu''. Some traditions say that the ''Takitimu'' was captained by Tamatea, father of Ranginui, and Kahungunu the founding ancestor of
Ngāti Ranginui
Ngāti Ranginui is a Māori iwi (tribe) in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Its rohe (tribal area) extends from Waihi in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, to south of Te Puke in the south, and to Tauranga in the east. The rohe does not ext ...
. Ngāti Kahungunu recognise this "Tamatea" as the grandson of Tamatea Arikinui, and refer to him as "Tamatea-pokaiwhenua-pokaimoana". However, accounts in Northland and Tauranga do not indicate the existence of more than one "Tamatea" from the ''Takitimu''.
Traditions of the South Island
South Island traditions indicate that Tamatea explored the western and southern coastlines of the South Island. The ''Tākitimu'' is said to have been turned to stone at
Murihiku
Murihiku is a region of the South Island in New Zealand, as used by the Māori people. Traditionally it was used to describe the portion of the South Island below the Waitaki River, but now is mostly used to describe the province of Southland. ...
. From there, Tamatea is said to have built another canoe, the ''
Kāraerae'', to return to the North Island.
See also
*
List of Māori waka
This is a list of Māori people, Māori (canoes). The information in this list represents a compilation of different oral traditions from around New Zealand. These accounts give several different uses for the waka: many carried Polynesians, Poly ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takitimu
Māori waka
Māori mythology