When Māori first arrived in Aotearoa, they encountered a much colder climate than their homeland in Hawaiki. They adapted quickly by using their weaving skills to produce Korowai (cloaks) and other practical objects such as kete (baskets) and whāriki (mats). The most widely used weaving material was (and still is) harakeke - otherwise known as New Zealand flax. Weaving was traditionally done by women, and skilled weavers are prized within their tribes.