Waikato Museum has confirmed the damage to Tainui canoe, Te Winika, is to its stern only.
The 200-year-old waka was undergoing restoration work when linseed oil-soaked rags used on the project burst into flames last Sunday.
Since then, concerns have been raised by a former curator and Waikato elder who was part of the team who cared for the waka in the past.
Mamae Takerei was worried that people were being kept in the dark as to the seriousness of the damage, as no one was being allowed to see the waka.
She says, "They don't want people to see the extent of the damage.
Excuses about it being too sacred to be seen are rubbish, as the masses have already seen and touched it. They're hiding something."
However, a spokesperson for the museum today confirmed that the reason the waka has not been allowed to be seen is because specialists are carrying out an analysis of damage and an insurance company investigation, and no tampering is allowed until that is complete, which should be early next week some time.