​New Zealand Aotearoa Dinosaur Fossils

Did you know our Kiwi dinosaur fossils were found near by a mountain named by the indigenous people of
Aotearoa ​the Māori as
​Maungataniwha!
Mountain of the Dragons!​
​

Aotearoa's Dromaeosaurid (like Velociraptor) about 2m long. Evidence One toe bone. Location Mangahouanga.

Hey kids did you know that the Tuatara were around with our Kiwi Dinosaurs 
​I reckon this Tuatara at the Wellington Zoo is thinking hmm... this T rex footprint looks very familiar

Chatham Island Theropod Dinosaur Fossils
Thank you
Dr Jeffery Stillwell & Dr Chris Consoli from MONASH University - Melbourne Australia
for sending us these scientific fossils cast for our Kiwi Kids to see, touch and learn about our past.​

​Kia ora Tamariki (children) when we came to your school these are the Aussie Paleontologists (Pictured on the left) I was telling you about who recovered dinosaur fossils from Manganui Beach North Chatham Island. Not long after they sent the fossil casts of what they found to me I then went to visit the now (late) Joan Wiffen back in 2006 our NZ Dinosaur fossil hunter and we compared it side by side with the largest theropod dinosaur toe bone (pictured below) which she and her late husband Pont discovered in the Mangahouanga Stream and we reckon the toe bone from the Chatham Island which came from a huge Carnivore could have been a Kiwi T Rex! Ngarara Rex.

The (late) Joan Wiffen our Kiwi Dinosaur Hunter & Dinosaur Darren 2006

Dinosaur Darren & Hamish Campbell - Senior Geologist/Paleontologist
at Te Papa Aotearoa's New Zealand's National Museum talking all about Rocks and Fossils.

Aotearoa's Mosasaur
Taniwhasaurus
(Taniwha Lizard)

​Our Kiwi Mosasaur was named after the Taniwha.
In ancient times Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) Taniwha was said to have lived in the great rivers, lakes or Moana (ocean) around Aotearoa.
Māori legends tell of Māori encountering Taniwha, falling prey to them, slaying them.
It was said some Taniwha had Kaitiakitanga (Guardianship) over areas it inhabited and often these places were assigned as Tapu (sacred) and because of this the Taniwha's Manaa (Authority, Power, Spiritual force) was acknowledge by Māori and so Manaakitanga (respect) was given to these mighty Taniwha and the area they inhabited.
Taniwha - ancient marine reptiles made such an impact on ancient Māori that the Taniwha became legends and stories for generations to come. 
However, eventually with the arrival of the British Empire's colonization of Aotearoa and their own developing British/Western Worldview. Sadly ancient Māori knowledge - Matauranga Māori of Taniwha and Ngarara are now all assigned as pure Myth and fairytales.

Pre Colonization
Te Ao Māori - Māori Worldview
Taniwha - Fierce marine reptile creatures
Ngarara - God Like land walking creeping reptiles
Purakau-Legend 1550AD Waikato, Aotearoa 
Ngati Haua Chief said to his Toa-Warriors after they trapped and slayed the God like creeping reptile Takere Piripiri "Make sure from this day on to tell all the Tamariki-children of these times of the mighty Taniwha and Ngarara for they were the Kaitiaki-Guardians of Aotearoa before the arrival of Tane-Man.

​Sir George Grey Governor of New Zealand 
1853 - 1853 &  1861 - 1868 
​In order to civilize a native race you must first separate them from their own savage ways and ancient Knowledge.

 Post Colonization & Western Worldview 
Taniwha - mythical creature
Ngarara - mythical creature then insect and today also referred to as a computer virus


Great to see our National Museum TE PAPA has strategically moved to become a Tiriti -Treaty based Museum instead of only portraying a Colonial -Western World view of the past and now being inclusive of Matauranga Māori - indigenous knowledge. 

The below article is from
​The Post - Te Upoko o Te Ika

Dino Exhibit Gifted Name
Te Papa's new Dinosaurs of Patagonia exhibition has been gifted a Māori name, Nga Taniwha o Rupapa
The exhibition came with a complete narrative and had no need to include Matauranga Māori. However, reo Māori writers were sought to provide translations to the incoming text as Te papa moved strategically toward being a Tiriti-based museum, said museum spokes people Ariki Spooner and Tamahou McGarvey.
We didn't want te reo Māori to be applied merely as a functional way, so we looked at the narrative parallels Matauranga Māori could provide to the Western scientific voice being expressed, 'the pair said. Maungataniwha  resonated with the Māori writers and the museums Matauranga Māori curator right from the outset because of the idea of the "terrifying lizard" taniwha which can be also kaitiaki /guardians and the Maungataniwha forest and range in both Hawkes Bay and Northland respectively where dinosaurs once roamed. The name Patagonia was given the name Rupapa as a translation by McGarvey , referring to the seismic activity and the supercontinent being torn apart. The lands again becoming one again for the exhibit he said.

Crickey! that's it I need a bigger Waka (canoe)

More to come...

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