Peter Lynn ARCHIVE
Subentry 1: Maori kites[1]
From China, where the kite originated, it spread south to the Malay Peninsula, through Indonesia, Melanesia and, by way of the migration drift of the Polynesians throughout Oceania with its eventual introduction into Aotearoa (New Zealand) by the Maori. (Few if any kite historians (except maybe Chinese ones) now believe that kites originated in China. The first written reference to kites is from China, but kites are undoubtedly much older than writing- their most likely origin is somewhere in the Indonesia- because there are plants growing there with large leaves that, when dry, are widely flown as tailless single bridle point kites- often for kite fishing- see photo attached- Peter Lynn).
Function
In New Zealand, as throughout the Pacific, kite flying was practised as a ritual of the cult of the sky with its origins firmly attributed to the gods. Kites were closely associated with religion and with the gods Rongo, Tane and Rehua, the most divine of the gods. The Maori made many of their kites in the shape of a bird and called them manu in the belief that birds were the communicators between human beings and the gods, or even that the bird-shaped kites represented the gods themselves. It was thought that the soul or spirit of a person was in the form of a bird, so the kite became an extension of its owner, the external soul, by which means the kite flyer contacted the gods.
The decline of the various sky cults coincided with the kite's virtual disappearance within the South Pacific basin. By the time Europeans arrived in the region, kite flying as it had previously been practised had all but died out. Apart from the tohunga's use of the kite as a means of divination, the kite's main application by the Maori during the immediate pre-European period was one of recreation.
Kite materials
The frames of the larger kites were usually made from selected lengths of manuka (teatree, Leptospermum scoparium) and split lengths of kareao (supplejack, Ripogonum scandens). Smaller children's kites used the culms of the toetoe (Cortaderia splendens), the stipes of kakaka (bracken, Pteris aquilina) and various types of rush stems.
Initially, until the plant became virtually extinct, the coverings of the large kites would have been bark cloth made from aute (paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera) and then subsequently of raupo (bulrush, Typha orientalis) leaves or the leaves of upoko tangata (cutty grass, Cyperus ustulatus). Flying lines known as aho tukutuku (the word tukutuku denotes the paying out of the line as the kite ascends) were made from fine twisted cord made from muka, the fibre of the flax leaf.
Kite decoration
Kites were decorated with feathers, shells, carved faces and coloured patterns using black or red pigments made from charcoal or clay mixed with shark oil. Some of the kites featured long feather tails known as puhihi that were attached to wing tips or the lower part of the kite's body. Others were decorated with horns and some had shells held within a hollow mask that rattled during flight. Some kites would be given line messengers known as karere that would be windblown up to the kite.
Surviving kites
From the seventeen or so known named types of Maori kite, only seven specimens have survived throughout the world. These seven survivors represent only three different types of Maori kite and are held in four museums around the world - in London, Hawaii, Auckland and Wellington.
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Man-lifting kite
The 17th century Wairarapa chief, Nuku-pewapewa, found that he was unable to capture the fortified village known as Maunga-rake. After numerous attempts, he eventually decided to build a kite and lower a man, under cover of night, to open the gate from inside the pa in order to allow the attacking party to enter. He built a large raupo kite in the shape of a bird with wide spread wings and, during the night, fastened a man to it and floated him over a cliff and into the pa below. The entrance to the pa was then opened, allowing the warriors to enter and take the village.
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Subentry 2: Modern Kiting in New Zealand
Although kite making and kite flying in New Zealand dates back to pre-European times, it is only since the 1980s that the pastime has seen a new growth of interest and activity.
Traditional kites
Many older generation New Zealanders will have childhood memories of making the classic diamond kite of two crossed sticks, a string-line joining the ends of each spar and a covering of brown paper or perhaps newspaper. These kites were often given a long tail string with bowties of paper tied to it. This traditional type of kite, along with the basic box kite were favourites in 19th century Europe where even a century earlier, kite flying had become a popular pastime among children. This European style of kite was brought to New Zealand by immigrants during the second half of the 19th century. For the new arrivals in an undeveloped land, the making of kites using available materials was one way of providing a recreational activity for children who initially may have had few other toys.
Flying conditions
Most of these homemade kites required light to moderate winds and were flown in open fields, parks or perhaps at the beach. Winds around the New Zealand coastline are variable throughout the year with the west coast of both islands being exposed to the prevailing wind that crosses the Tasman Sea. A gentle ocean breeze can provide excellent conditions for kite flying especially in places such as the Bay of Plenty where in pre-European times, Maori found the offshore winds that struck the coastal cliffs, provided an excellent uplift for their kites.
Imported kites
By the 1960s cheap factory-made plastic kites from Asia had appeared on the market. For several decades this type of kite became popular with children, being relatively durable, cheap and in most cases easy to fly. These imported kites for many, took away the need for making one's own, and by the mid-1970s the advent of new materials such as nylon cloth and fibreglass meant that manufactured kites were more durable and offered even better performance.
Peter Lynn kitemaker
In 1973, Peter Lynn, (born 1946), an engineer and kitemaker, established a kite making business in Ashburton and within a decade was exporting kites around the world. From 1987 Peter concentrated research and development on kite traction- using kites as sails to propel boats, water skiers, snow skiers, ice skaters, kite buggiers and kite boarders. His development of the first practicable kite buggy in 1990 started a new sport and an industry that is now worldwide. By 2004, the British Buggy Club had more than 4000 members.
He was also a significant contributor to the development of kitesurfing and has patents pending on the Arc style of ram air inflated kitesurfing kite.
In 1995 Peter's MegaBite (A ram air inflated soft kite in the shape of a giant trilobite) became the world largest kite, with 635 sq.m of lifting area. Not formally ratified as the Guinness record holder until 1997, it was followed by an equal size MegaRay (also an entirely soft kite, but this time in the shape of a giant stingray). In 2004 Peter's design for an even larger single line kite in the shape of a Kuwaiti flag was built for a Kuwait family. At 1000sq.m it is expected to claim the Guinness, record in due course and has already flown successfully in New Zealand at at kite festivals in England.
Peter's focus is now on the further development of kitesailing but each year he adds to his range of giant single line kites designs- of which the Octopus, Ray, Trilobite, Gecko, Cat and Fish are perhaps the best known- made in Ashburton and by licensees in other countries, and flown at kite festivals all over the world.
A large example of his first original kite design (1971), the now ubiquitous Peter Lynn Box Kite hangs in the entrance of Te Papa.
Renewed interest in kiting
In the last two decades of the twentieth century, high-tech materials such as carbon-fibre rods and rip-stop nylon fabric, attracted creative people back to the art of designing and making kites. With the upsurge of interest during this period, a national kite flier's association was established and a number of kite retail outlets opened throughout the country to cater for the renewed interest. Although there have been many new creative kite designs developed by enthusiasts in New Zealand, some of which feature indigenous motifs such as the koru, the renaissance of kite making in this country reflects a more universal evolution than one that has a distinctive New Zealand style however in the field of modern-day kite traction, this country has led the world with the innovative designs and the manufacture of high performance sporting equipment.
FURTHER SOURCES
More links and web sites
New Zealand Kite Fliers Association [http://www.nzka.org.nz]
In 1984 the New Zealand Kiteflier's Association (Inc.) was founded in response to the growing interest in recreational kite flying. The association's purpose is to share knowledge about new materials, the art, history, technology and safety of flying kites. Regular regional kite days are held together with an annual festival that usually attracts a number of overseas participants.
Peter Lynn Kites [http://www.peterlynnkites.co.nz]
From the design of the highly successful PLT box kite in the early 1970s, Peter Lynn kites continue to hold the international kiting community in awe as his innovative designs take the world of kites to new levels of technology and performance.
More suggestions and sources
Maysmor, Bob (2001): Te Manu Tukutuku - The Maori Kite (2nd edition). Steele Roberts.
[1] This subentry is a summary of Bob Maysmor's book on Maori kites: "Te Manu Tukutuku - The Maori Kite", published by Steele Roberts (1st ed 1990; 2nd ed 2001).
