Ngatokimatawhaorua - World's Largest War Canoe

I'm not sure if that's the longest name for a canoe. But the canoe called Ngatokimatawhaorua is reputed to be the largest war canoe in the world. You find this canoe at Waitangi, birthplace of the New Zealand nation, near the Treaty House where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. Also close by is the Maori Whare Runanga (Meeting Place) which was completed in 1940 and is a finely detailed construction with carvings representing the major Maori tribes.

Ngatokimatawhaorua is named after the great canoe of Kupe, traditional Polynesian ancestor of the Maori people. Waitangi is in New Zealand's scenic, historic Bay of Islands north of Auckland.

• Bay of Islands Photo Gallery
• Where to Stay in the Bay of Islands

Photo: The canoe at Waitangi © Tourism New Zealand