Moari

Moari Swing

The moari was a traditional swing common upon pā and included in the historical whare tapere. In his Games and Pastimes of the Maori, (pp. 47, 48), Elsdon Best quotes George Angas who writes, 'The moari or native swing is an amusement... A pole, generally the trunk of a kahikatea pine, is erected in the centre of an open space adjoining the village; flax ropes are suspended from the top, and, holding on to these, the natives swing themselves round and round...' Best then quotes Rev. R. Taylor who states, 'Morere or moari: - This is a lofty pole, generally erected near a river, from the top of which about a dozen ropes are attached; the parties who use it take hold of them and swing round, going over the precipice...'

Source
Best, Elsdon: Games and Pastimes of the Maori, A.R. Shearer, Government Printer 1976