Inscriptions
1: THE CANOE MARAMI. [sic] THE FIRST HISTORY. (brushpoint, t.l.); McCahon April '69 (brushpoint, b.l.); Colin McCahon / The canoe Mamari / No 1 of a series of 4 / The April / Paintings. 1969 (on reverse)
2: THE CANOE MARAMA. [sic] THE SECOND HISTORY. (brushpoint, t.l.); McCahon April '69. (brushpoint, b.l.); Colin McCahon / The Canoe Mamari / No 2 of a series of 4 / The April Paintings / 1969 (on reverse)
3: THE CANOE MAMARI. THE THIRD HISTORY. (brushpoint, t.l.); McCahon April '69 (brushpoint, b.l.); Colin McCahon / The Canoe Mamari / No 3 of a series of 4 / The April paintings / 1969. (on reverse)
4: THE CANOE MAMARI. THE FOURTH HISTORY. (brushpoint, t.l.); McCahon April '69. (brushpoint, b.l.); Colin McCahon / The Canoe Mamari / No 4. Series of 4 / The April Paintings 1969 (on reverse)

Extended inscriptions
1: THE CHIEF OF THE CANOE
WAS RANUI
HIS SONS WERE
KORAKO-NUI-A-RUA
TE MARU-O-TE-
HUIA
AND RUATAPU.

2: KORAKO-NUI-A-
-RUA HAD
A SON MATITI WHOSE
SON WAS HAKUMANU
WHOSE SON WAS TAIWAWE
WHOSE SON WAS
TUPUTA

3: TUPATA HAD A SON
RUANUI (THE SECOND)
WHOSE SON WAS TARAUAUA
WHOSE SON WAS MORE
WHOSE SONS WERE TE
IKANUI AND WHEERU.
WHEERU MARRIED
TAIMAINIA

4: TE IKANUI WHO WAS
YOUNGER THAN HIS BROTHER
WHEERU HAD A LARGE
FAMILY
AND MANY DESCENDANTS.
THE CHIEF OF THE CANOE WAS
RUANUI
THE NAME OF THE
CANOE WAS
MAMARI