Tainui (canoe)

Tainui is one of the great waka (canoes) of Māori tradition, significant in the history of the Māori people of New Zealand (Aotearoa). According to oral histories, it was one of the ancestral waka that carried Māori migrants from Hawaiki, the traditional Polynesian homeland, to New Zealand.

The Tainui waka is associated primarily with the Tainui tribal confederation, which occupies the Waikato region of the North Island. Descendants of the original crew of the Tainui waka identify as Tainui Māori.

The captain of the Tainui waka is traditionally identified as Hoturoa. The voyage of the Tainui is a central narrative in Tainui history, providing a foundation for land claims, whakapapa (genealogy), and cultural identity.

Upon arrival in Aotearoa, the Tainui waka is said to have been landed at Kawhia Harbour. A stone marker, the Tainui stone, marks the traditional landing site. The anchor stone of the Tainui waka is also a significant cultural artifact.

Oral tradition recounts stories of exploration, settlement, and interactions with other waka groups and tangata whenua (original inhabitants) following the arrival of the Tainui. These narratives form the basis for many Tainui land rights claims and tribal affiliations.