canoes

The names of the canoes in which the Māori arrived in New Zealand. Many of these were hewn out with the celebrated greenstone axes made from Te Poutini, the "stone fish" of Ngahue. The canoes here are ordered by name, not by arrival.

1. Aotea;
2. Arahura;
3. Ārai-te-uru;
4. Arawa, one of the most celebrated canoes;
5. Arikimaitai;
6. Hīrauta;
7. Horouta (see Takitūmu);
8. Kura-hau-pō;
9. Māhanga-a-tua-matua;
10. Mahuhu;
11. Mamari;
12. Mangarara;
13. Matahōrua;
14. Matatūa;
15. Motumotuahi;
16. Nukutere;
17. Pangatoru;
18. Pauiriraira;
19. Rangi-ua-mutu;
20. Ririno;
21. Tahatuna;
22. Tainui;
23. Tairea (see Rangi-ua-mutu);
24. Takitūmu;
25. Tokomaru;
26. Toroa;
27. Wakaringaringa;
28. Wakirere.

Some time after the landing of the better known vessels, two more canoes arrived at Taranaki (in the west of North Island). One contained two women, the daughters of a great chief or god; the other canoe held their chattels. They went back to their own land and spoke well of the Taranaki country, but complained much of the boulders along the beach. Then the paternal god or chief sent a canoe-load of sand from his own home to form sand-hills, and cover up the boulders. There has always been much sand on the Taranaki coast since.

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