(also ;
often known simply as ) was one of the great
ocean-going, voyaging canoes () that was used in the migrations that settled 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 ...
according to
Māori tradition.
is linked to many southern , first landing near
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
. The was captained by
Rākaihautū
Rākaihautū was the captain of the canoe () and a Polynesian ancestor of various , most famously of Waitaha and other southern groups, though he is also known in the traditions of Taitokerau and in those of Rarotonga.
In Māori traditions ...
, who was accompanied by his wife Waiariki-o-āio, their son Te Rakihouia, and a man named Matiti.
Origins
Originally, was said to belong to a chief from
Te Patunuioāio named Taitewhenua.
He decided to give the canoe to the renowned (
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
) Matiti, who then gave it to Rākaihautū and encouraged him to use it to explore new lands.
In the 9th century,
[ Rākaihautū, accompanied by his wife Waiariki-o-āio, their son Te Rakihouia, Matiti,][ and other kin of the Te Kāhui Tipua, Te Kāhui Roko, and Te Kāhui Waitaha tribes, set sail across the ]Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, 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 ...
in search of new land.[
]
Voyage and arrival
On the journey to the South Island the heavens and the ocean blocked the canoe's path, until Rākaihautū chanted a and cut a passage with his adze
An adze () or adz is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing or carving wood in ha ...
, Kapakitua.[ Nelson, at the top of the South Island.]Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...
down to Foveaux Strait
Foveaux Strait ( ; ) is a strait that separates Stewart Island from the South Island of New Zealand. The width of the strait ranges from about , and the depth varies between . The strait was first charted by an American Seal hunting, sealer, O ...
, digging out the island's great lakes and waterways as he went.Kaikōura
Kaikōura (; ) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, located on New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, north of Christchurch. The town has an estimated permanent resident population of as of . Kaikōura is th ...
(The Food Storehouse of Rakihouia) and eventually finding a lake at Banks Peninsula
Banks Peninsula () is a rocky peninsula on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand that was formed by two now-extinct volcanoes. It has an area of approximately . It includes two large deep-water harbours — Lyttelton Harbour a ...
now called Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora
Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is a shallow coastal lake or waituna, in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is directly to the west of Banks Peninsula, separated from the Pacific Ocean by the long, ...
, naming its coastline (The Eel Weirs Of Te Rakihouia).Clutha River
The Clutha River (, officially gazetted as Clutha River / ) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the ...
, which they named (or ).[ meeting at Waihao, near the ]Waitaki River
The Waitaki River is a large braided river in the South Island of New Zealand. It drains the Mackenzie Basin and runs south-east to enter the Pacific Ocean between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast. It starts at the confluence of the Ōhau Ri ...
where the canoe now makes up part of the riverbed at Wai Kakahi (near Glenavy
Glenavy () is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is approximately 11 miles west of Belfast and eight miles north-west of Lisburn, and sits on the banks of the Glenavy river. In the 2011 census it had a population ...
).
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 ...
*
*
Notes
References
External links
Terea te Waka
a chant that recalls the voyage of the
{{Waka nav
Māori mythology
Māori waka