What are taniwha? Taniwha are supernatural creatures in Māori tradition, similar to serpents and dragons in other cultures. They were said to hide in the ocean, rivers, lakes or caves. Some taniwha would eat and kill people, or kidnap women.

Taniwha are supernatural creatures whose forms and characteristics vary according to different tribal traditions. Though supernatural, in the Māori world view they were seen as part of the natural environment. Taniwha have been described as fabulous monsters that live in deep water.

Taniwha are supernatural creatures whose forms and characteristics vary according to different tribal traditions. Though supernatural, in the Māori world view they were seen as part of the natural environment. Taniwha have been described as fabulous monsters that live in deep water.

Many taniwha were associated with the sea. A large number were said to have come with the voyaging canoes that brought the Polynesian ancestors of the Māori people to Aotearoa (New Zealand). Tuhirangi Kupe was the great navigator who is reputed to have ...

Taniwha were also believed to inhabit lakes, rivers and other freshwater areas. Lake Roto-a-Tara. Te Tau-a-Porirua was a taniwha from Heretaunga (Hastings), said to live on the Ruataniwha plains. A chief named Tara was responsible for capturing …

He aha te taniwha? He wāhi nui tō te taniwha i te ao Māori; ka rite rātou ki ngā tipua, ki ngā dragons kei ngā pūrākau a te Pākehā me ētahi atu iwi. Noho ai rātou ki ō rātou rua kei te moana, kei ngā awa, kei ngā roto, kei ngā ana. He kaitangata, he kāhaki wahine ētahi taniwha. Ko ētahi atu taniwha he kaitiaki mō te iwi.

Although many taniwha were kaitiaki, or protectors of iwi and hapū (tribes and sub-tribes), others were killers, sparking the need for heroic slayers. They often used ingenious methods to capture the dangerous creatures.

By supernatural means, Tūheitia became a taniwha (spiritual being) and came to reside in the Waipā River. In this carving, situated outside the Novotel Tainui hotel in Hamilton, Tūheitia is depicted with a fish-like tail, to signify his transformation into a taniwha.

Even among Māori there was disagreement as to whether the concerns about taniwha were genuine or not. Taniwha and identity. Witi Ihimaera, author of The whale rider, says that he has a kaitiaki (guardian) which is a taniwha. Her name is Hine …

Is that really a taniwha? In 1907 Te Pipiwharauroa newspaper received a letter about a taniwha sighting at Waimārama. The taniwha, which emerged from the sea, had a head like a dog and fur on its body. It was killed by a local.