Auau — The Sound of the Kurī

Before barking echoed through suburban fences, there was another sound carried across the whenua.

Auau.

The howl of the kurī.

Historical accounts describe kurī as howling more often than barking. Their voices travelled through settlements, forests and coastlines long before modern Aotearoa existed.

That sound became part of story.

Part of memory.

Part of identity.

The word auau feels almost haunting today because the original kurī are gone. Their line disappeared generations ago, leaving behind only stories, preserved specimens and fragments of history.

But somehow the sound still feels alive.

Maybe because every dog owner understands it:

• the call in the night
• the protective warning
• the longing howl
• the sound of pack and connection

Dogs have always communicated something emotional through their voices.

Auau carries that feeling.

For us, Auau is more than just a name.

It’s a remembering.

A reminder that dogs have walked beside humans on these islands for centuries:

• through migration
• settlement
• hardship
• hunting
• farming
• whānau life

And even now, dogs remain part of everyday life on the whenua.

The call never really disappeared.