New Zealand’s Largest Canoe

Northern Advocate, 15 July 1938, Page 8

New Zealand’s Largest Canoe

[Special to “Northern Advocate.”! KERIKERI, Thursday, Part of the gesture of, the Maoris to the Pakeha Centenary celebi'ations of 1940, the building at Kerikeri of the largest canoe ever made in New Zealand, and possibly the largest native canoe ever made in the world, is being advanced a further stage. Th e time has now come when the three great sections can be joined together. It w*as early in December that the sections were cut from two mighty kauri trees in the Puketi forest, near Kerikeri. On a day memorable to the Maoris in that part of the North, two of the diree sections were hauled from the bush by bullock trains and taken along the road by motor lorry ’ and * trailer to the Kerikeri Inlet. Later on, the third section followed them, also to be sunk for seasoning purposes in the salt water.

The bow and the stern sections each measure 31 feet by four feet six inches, but the mighty centrepiece is 60 feet long and has beam of six feet. The total length of the canoe will be more than 120 feet. ' - ' j Now, having seasoned in the salt water since December, the sections are ready for the next stage of their construction. The task of the canoe architects is to join the pieces.' To do this will take time, and for this purpose a nikau whare will be built over the length of the two sections —this is, a whare 91 feet in length. The total length of this whare, however, will finally be more than 100 feet, the length of the canoe.