A waka, over a century old, has been discovered in the Pātea River, in south Taranaki.
The vessel was hidden in the 19th century, at a time when the Crown had captured and imprisoned members of three local tribes.
"As soon as I saw it, I knew it was a waka from the old people because it was made of totara," Ngāti Ruanui historian Darren Ngarewa said.
The waka was discovered by local iwi and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage this week.
It is believed to have been hidden by Te Pakakohi, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngā Rauru to prevent it being confiscated by the Crown in 1869.
"This is not something we talk about, a tapu, because of the pain we suffered," Ngarewa said.
"But with the waka coming out and the way it was coming out, it was unfolding as part of a bigger picture. Now maybe is the time to tell our story."
That story is significant because it happened near where the waka has been discovered, where 154 years ago colonial forces captured Māori chief Ngāwaka Taurua and elderly iwi members, imprisoning them in Otago.
The incarceration followed accusations of treason by the Crown.
In prison they faced harsh conditions and some of them died.
"We have spent so long reclaiming ourselves after so much interference by the Crown so to rediscover a part of our missing history, particularly on the 154th anniversary, is big for us," Ngāti Ruanui kaiarataki Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said.
The waka is now being restored in New Plymouth until a decision is made on its future.
Local iwi hope it will be displayed in Pātea to help education future generations and remind them of Aotearoa's brutal past.
"This is much bigger than just us, for the hapu and iwi," Ngarewa said.
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