Taketakerau Burial Tree. near Opotiki. New Zealand.
S 38° 04.190 E 177° 15.915
60H E 523266 N 5786403
At the heart of the Hukutaia Domain stands a historic Puriri tree. Named Takatakerau, this is an ancient Maori Burial tree.
Waymark Code: WM8Q2Y
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 04/30/2010
Views: 2
The Hukutaia Domain contains one of the finest collections of native flora, with 80 species of native trees, shrubs, ferns and grasses, plus several hundred other native species introduced from elsewhere. Many are rare or endangered.
In the domain is an ancient burial tree,“Taketakerau”. It is a puriri tree, about 22m around, over 23m high and estimated to be over 2000 years old. Hollow burial trees such as Taketakerau were used by the Maori as the last resting place for the bones of important people. The Upokorehe hapu of the Whakatohea tribe used this tree for the deposit of their tribal bones. These trees were highly tapu and any interference of the tree would surely result in death. A local found bones in the tree while sheltering from a storm in 1913. The bones have been removed and the tapu lifted.
Website: [Web Link]
Historic Event:
Ancient Maori burial tree.
Year: Late 1800s. The Domain became a reserve to protect the tree in 1918.
Species: Puriri tree.
Approximate Age: 2000
Location: Hukutaia Domain, near Opotiki.
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