Is there a native New Zealand reed you could make a Kon-Tiki-style boat out of?

Question

The Uru people of Peru are traditionally building these cool reed boats. I wonder if we could make those here in NZ, too.

Does anyone know if we have any reed growing here that might be right? Maybe somewhere on the West Coast?

Answer 1

Heyerdahl constructed three reed vessels: Ra I +II and Tigris.

The material for Ra I was was papyrus, Cyperus papyrus, not to find in New Zealand.

http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/exotic_plant_lif...

Ra II can be constructed from reed of New Zealand:

The material Totora, Scirpus californicus, syn. Schoenoplectus californicus is to find at the west coast of the northern North Island, where it is found on the Wairoa River (from Ruawai to near Dargaville), and on the Waikato River (Port Waikato to Tuakau).

( New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1998, Vol. 36 : 319—32 7 )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scirpus_cal...

Here you find a pic of Ra II ( and much more ) and details about material

http://www.greatdreams.com/thor.htm

The Tigris was made out of "Berdi reed", from which I could not find the scientific name.

If you like to reconstruct the raft Kon-Tiki, you can try the wood of Entelea arborescences, one of the lightest known woods, which may sometimes be lighter than balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) wood, the original material.

http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Entelea...