Mending and Patching Canoes

A split in a canoe was plugged with raupo down (Pappus of seed of Typha angustijolia), and in many cases holes were bored on either side of the split, and a batten so lashed on to cover the caulked flaw, a process described by the word tapi. On the outer side the lashings would be countersunk, as in lashing a haumi. An old Maori saying is "He aurukowhao, apa he page 186 page 187 takere-haia" ("It is merely leakage through the lashing-holes; 'tis not as if it were a split hull")—a saying applied to minor misfortunes. We also hear a transposed form—"E hara i te aurukowhao, he takere-haia" ("It is not a trivial leakage, but a split keel"). Yet another form is "He pakaru a ihu, e taea e koe te whakaaro; ki te pakaru i te takere o te waka, e kore e taea te whakaaro"—implying that a damaged canoe-prow may be easily fixed, but a split keel is a very serious matter. A native correspondent has the following in the Waka Maori, a Maori newspaper, of the 3rd July, 1877: "He whakatauki—'Waiho kia pakaru ana, he pakaru waka taud " ("A saying—'Let it remain broken; it is broken as a war-canoe is' "). He proceeds: "Ahakoa titiro atu kua horo nga rauawa kei raro, me nga takaa, me nga taumanu, me ngataitua, kino rawa atu ki ta te kuare titiro atu, kua karangatia—'E, he taua,'—kua oti te haumi, kua piri te kakariki o te niao, kua eke nga oa, kua piri te whara, kua piri te takaa, kua ngahua te taumanu, kua aukahatia, kua oti, purupuru ana ki te tahuna, e puhi ana ki te kereru te ihu, te noko, tatai rawa ki te toroa paikare: I kino ra hoki i tona pakarutanga, a oti rawa ake nei i te aukahatanga hou me te mea ano ko tona otinga tuatahi." Thus he explains how such a vessel may appear to be in a truly deplorable condition, apparently past repair to non-expert eyes, with its parts fallen apart, yet, let the cry of "The enemy!" be heard, and then behold how the scattered parts of the war-canoe leap together! The haumi is relashed, the top-strakes restored and secured, battens fastened, thwarts fixed, caulking of seams, &c., done, and the whole vessel properly adorned, making her look as she did when new. The romanized words in the foregoing narrative are unknown to the writer.

• Dimensions of Canoe in Fig. 90 (p. 186)

  Length, 31 ft.

  Width (outside measurement):—

  • 7 ft. from prow, 23 in.
  • 11 ft. from prow, 27¾ in.
  • 20 ft. from prow, 31 in.
  • 23 ft. from prow, 28¾ in.
  • 29 ft. from prow, 13 in.

  Depth from straight line from prow to stern to bottom of canoe:—

  • 3 ft. from prow, 7 in.
  • 6 ft. from prow, 12½in.
  • 10 ft. from prow, 16 in.
  • 12 ft. from prow, 16½ in.
  • 15 ft. from prow, 17½ in.

  Sheer:—

  • 11½ ft. about middle or little towards stern.
  • 20 ft. from prow, 10½ in.
  • 23 ft. from prow, 9½ in.
  • 29 ft. from prow, 2½ in.

  Thickness, 1½ in. on bottom and near it; 1 in. at gunwale. Widest part near stern. Keel sharp at prow and stern; middle flat.

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Williams gives: "Tawake—to repair a hole in a canoe. Rau tawake—piece of wood inserted to stop a hole; patch. Whakakiko— patch on a canoe, let in like a plug."

In his interesting remarks on Maori customs regarding rights to property Mr. Colenso says: "Any wreck driven on shore, a wreck of any kind, or even a canoe and property of friends and relatives upsetting off a village, and drifting on shore where a village was, became the property of the people of that village, although it might be that the people in the canoe had all got safely to land, or were coming by special invitation to visit that very village. .. Strangest of all, the people in the upset canoe would be the first to resent, even to fighting, any kind alleviation of this strange law."

In connection with a European boat wrecked at Turakina, Wakefield says: "Pukeroa … loudly asserted that, when a boat, canoe, or ship was wrecked, all lookers-on were entitled to whatever they could pick up. He was much delighted at having found a case of bottled gin."