Vaka (canoe) A'ua'u

This vaka (canoe) is called A`ua`u, which is an old name for the island of Mangaia in the Cook Islands where the vaka originated. It was made by two Cook Island carvers, Tangitoru and Terepo, who travelled to New Zealand in 1906 to take part in the Christchurch International Exhibition. They brought this vaka with them and it was eventually acquired by the Dominion Museum. A'ua'u was originally built as an outrigger vaka and Te Papa also has its float in its collection. It is the world's only surviving example of an old-style carved and painted Mangaian canoe.

Design
A'ua'u is made from a hollowed log and has a distinctive vertical stern piece. The patterns of the painted markings visible on the hull were made by Tangitoru and are said to duplicate tattooed markings on his own body. On the bow there is a carved star motif that is believed to have been used as a steering and navigational aid. Although A'ua'u is just over four metres long, in the eighteenth century English explorer James Cook saw painted vaka this size out at sea.