BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Maori Queen's funeral

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Monday, 21 August 2006, 13:25 GMT 14:25 UK

In pictures: Maori Queen's funeral

Mourners sit beside the body of the late Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu, on 16 August

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When Maori Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu died last week, the Maori community began a week-long period of mourning.

People watch as Maori Warriors carry the coffin of Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu from the Waikato River to Mount Taupiri, 21 August

People watch as Maori Warriors carry the coffin of Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu from the Waikato River to Mount Taupiri, 21 August

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Thousands of people gathered to honour the queen at a funeral service on Monday. Dame Te Ata was held in huge respect among both Maori and other New Zealanders.

Maori Warriors escort the coffin of Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu down the Waikato river during her burial ceremony, 21 August

Maori Warriors escort the coffin of Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu down the Waikato river during her burial ceremony, 21 August

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As part of a lavish ceremony in Ngaruawahia village in the North Island, her coffin was taken down the Waikato river to the traditional burial site, on the summit of Taupiri mountain.

Bare-chested Maori warrior with a facial tattoo waits for the coffin near the sacred Taupiri Mountain, 21 August

Bare-chested Maori warrior with a facial tattoo waits for the coffin near the sacred Taupiri Mountain, 21 August

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As the boats approached the mountain, Maori warriors wearing traditional clothing watched from the shoreline.

Maori Warriors carry the coffin of Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu to Mount Taupiri, 21 August

Maori Warriors carry the coffin of Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu to Mount Taupiri, 21 August

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Her coffin was then carried up the mountain to be buried, marking the end of her 40-year reign.

New Maori King Tuheitia Paki sits on his throne next to the coffin of his mother, 21 August

New Maori King Tuheitia Paki sits on his throne next to the coffin of his mother, 21 August

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Before the funeral, the late queen's eldest son, Tuheitia Paki, was announced as her successor - the seventh in a line of Maori monarchs stretching back to 1858.

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