''Te Waka a Māui'' (the canoe or vessel of Māui) is a Māori name for 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 ...

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 ...

. Some Māori mythology says that it was the vessel which Māui (a demi-god hero, who possessed magic powers) stood on as he hauled up ''

Te Ika-a-Māui 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 ...

'' (the fish of Māui – the North Island). There are also stories about other people, Kupe and Toi, who discovered Aotearoa (New Zealand). Māui lived in the Māori ancestral homeland of Hawaiki. One day he hid in the bottom of his brothers' canoe as they went on a long fishing voyage. Māui used his magical powers to increase the distance back to shore so when he was discovered his brothers would not take him back home. When they were far out into the ocean, Māui dropped his magic fishhook over the side of the canoe. He felt a strong tug on the line, too strong to be a normal type of fish. Māui called on his brothers to help. After quite a struggle they pulled up 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 ...

of New Zealand – which, since that day, has been known to Māori as ''Te Ika-a-Maui''. Since then, the South Island of New Zealand has been known as ''Te Waka a Maui'' (the canoe of Māui). The third (smaller) island lying to the south of New Zealand is known as ''Te Punga a Māui'' (Māui's anchor), as it was the anchor for Māui's canoe. In English it is known as Stewart Island / Rakiura. The official names are the

or ''Te Waipounamu''. Another old South Island name for the island, following a different tradition from the one above, is ''Te Waka a Aoraki'', the canoe of Aoraki.

References

External links

"Māori legends and myths - The Legend of Maui and the magic fishhook"
''New Zealand in History''
"The Legends of Maui and the magic fishhook"
''Maori-in-Oz'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Te Waka a Maui Māori words and phrases Māori mythology South Island