Sea Life


Sea life – like fish, birds, and seaweed – is more common near land and can help to guide wayfinders. For example, lines of seaweed can reach up to 200 km east of Aotearoa GLOSSARY Aotearoa - New Zealand .

Homing birds are especially useful for finding land. These are birds that feed at sea during the day and return to land in the evening – for example, boobies, terns, and noddies. They fly in a direct line of up to 30 km to and from land. A large group of birds shows that land is 15 to 30 km away. To find out the direction of land, the wayfinder waits until the evening when the birds fly home. Boobies may even circle a vaka before going home.

It is possible that migrating GLOSSARY migrating - travelling animals gave early wayfinders clues about where other islands were – for example, the kuaka (godwit) and the koekoea (long-tailed cuckoo), which fly across the Pacific and arrive in Aotearoa GLOSSARY Aotearoa - New Zealand in spring each year. Whales also migrate to and from the Pacific, often using the same route from year to year.

Paikea and the Whale (Aotearoa, Polynesia)

The Ngaati Porou iwi (tribe) of Aotearoa talks of how Kahutia Te Rangi (or Paikea) came to this land on a whale. Paikea lived in the homeland of Hawaiki. His father was Uenuku, and his older brother was Ruatapu. One day, Ruatapu climbed on the roof of Uenuku’s house. This was a great insult to his father. Uenuku was very angry. He reminded Ruatapu that he was illegitimate (born of parents not married to each other) and that the younger Paikea was really the leading son.

So Ruatapu decided to kill all the leading sons of the chiefs of Hawaiki. He took them out on a waka and drowned them by letting water into it. But Paikea escaped. A whale rescued him and brought him to Aotearoa. He arrived at Whangara on the East Coast of the North Island.

Ko wai te tekoteko kei runga?
Ko Paikea! Ko Paikea!
Whakakau Paikea hei!
Whakakau he tipua hei!
Whakakau he taniwha hei!
Ka u Paikea ki Ahuahu ...

Who is the carved figure on the roof?
It’s Paikea! It’s Paikea!
Paikea is swimming!
Paikea with his magical powers is swimming!
Paikea the great is swimming!
Paikea lands at Ahuahu ...

Adapted from the website of John Archer (www.folksong.org.nz/pataka.html).