Sunday, August 20, 2006

Maori Queen laid to rest

Maori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu was buried on Mount Taupiri, the resting-place of chiefs, in a traditional ceremony Monday.

The queen died last Tuesday after 40 years on the throne. She was a popular and respected indigenous leader in New Zealand.

A traditional Maori canoe carried the queen's coffin to Taupiri after an elaborate and well-attended ceremony featuring many local and regional leaders.

President of French Polynesia Oscar TeMaru (R) walks with former New Zealand politician Koro Wetere (L) during the late Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu's tangihanga (funeral ceremony) at the Tuurangawaewae Marae (home of the late Queen) in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, August 20, 2006. REUTERS/Peter Drury/Pool (NEW ZEALAND)
French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru walks with former New Zealand politician Koro Wetere during the late Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu's tangihanga (funeral ceremony) at the Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, August 20, 2006. REUTERS/Peter Drury/Pool via Yahoo News.