"TAPIRI'S AXE."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 246, 17 October 1929, Page 9

"TAPIRI'S AXE."

MUSEUM MAORI WAR CANOE. RESTORING DECORATION. HISTORIC CRAFT. ~~ ■ . ■' The- decision of the Auckland Museum authorities to. restore the old Maori war canoe, Tc T6ki-a-Tapiri .- ("the axe of Tapiri") should make the exhibit a most interesting unit of the Maori Collection. This canoe was built on the East. Coast, but before the outbreak of. the- Waikato war. was brought to Auckland, and' ultimately became the property of the Ngati -Tβ Ata tribe of the Manukau. • With many other canoes it was later captured hy a party of soldiers sent to the Manukau to seize the canoes.to prevent any attack on Auckland, via Waiuku, by disgruntled Waikato natives. . Many of the canoes were- destroyed, but Te Toki-a-Tapiri was saved. . ... It is intended to redecorate this famous craft with her bow and , sternpost plumage, which Avas a feature of Maori canoes in the old days. /The bow was noticeable for its projection of two plumes, which stood out in the form of a moustache. The sternpost was similarly decorated and invariably carried two long streamers (Puhi-rere) trailing almost to the surface,of the water. Along the gunwale at intervals were lashed feather tufts : (Puhuruhuru). The feathers used for these tufts were toroa (albatross) and takapu (gannet). Famous Royal "Barge." In "Captain Cook's Voyages" there is a plate by Sydney Parkinson, Cook's artist, showing a large canoe with these feather decorations.- In the early days when chiefs visited Auckland . or came here for ,the big' harbour regattas their canoes were decorated in the traditional manner. The last of these events was probably about 1897,. when the "sixtieth anniversary of Queen Victoria's ■ accession was celebrated. On that occasion the canoe Tahere. Tiki Tiki, which had been presented to the Maori king of the Waikato (King Tawhiao) by her Ngati Whatua owners, of . Orakei, competed against the northern canoe, Te Mapere, the course 'being up the harbour : from.-the

present city foreshore, round the Watchman and back to the end of Queen's wharf. Sent to Christchurch Exhibition. TheTahere Tiki Tiki, which was eventually'dismantled and discarded and left on an island in the Waikato River, has an interesting history. She was lent by the Waikato people to the authorities of the Christchurch Exhibition held in Hagley Park in 1900, where it was a feature of the Maori, model village, and was in commission on the artificial lake. When the exhibition was over the canoe was left lying in the park. It was reported that the Government M r as negotiating to purchase her for the Canterbury Museum, but the Waikatos insisted that she be returned, which was done, the canoe being brought up in sections and handed over at Mercer. Being recomm'issioned by the natives the canoe became again prominent on the river." It was again rumoured that the Government wanted to buy her, and Parukau, the chief, to circumvent the possible sale, took the canoe on her last journey and hauled her upon one of the river islands below Tuakau, where she lies to-day. " There ,are some very fine specimens of ordinary river canoes in the Museum, including a large one that was built with stone implements. It shows all the lashing signs, and the marks that would be expected from the use of stone drills.