WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Tens of thousands of mourners surrounded a sacred hill yesterday as Maoris laid their tribal queen to rest with a moving ceremony on a scale rarely seen here.

Tears flowed, and dirges filled the air as the body of Dame Te Atairangikaahu — who had served as the Maori queen for 40 years — was transported on a waka, or traditional canoe, by river to the hillside where she was buried near her ancestors.

Dame Te Ata, as she was known, died last week aged 75 after a long struggle with failing health. Large crowds, mainly made up of Maoris but also including many New Zealanders of European descent, traveled from all over the country to attend the funeral, held at the Turangawaewae royal marae, or meeting house, in the small town of Ngaruawahia, near Hamilton on the North Island.

State Highway 1, the main route linking Wellington and Auckland, was closed for more than seven hours and diversions put in place because of the sheer number of people thronging the town.

Yesterday was the climax of six days of mourning, and it began with the coronation of Dame Te Ata’s successor, her eldest son Tuheitia Paki, aged 51. After the winter sun rose and early fog parted, the new king was anointed wearing the feathered cloak of his ancestors.

At the funeral service, the Anglican Archbishop of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia, Whakahuihui Vercoe, said of Dame Te Ata: “Many women have done excellently, but you have surpassed them all.”

Messages of condolence were read from Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Pope Benedict XVI. When three white doves were freed to symbolize the release of Dame Te Ata’s spirit, one lingered on the ground, which mourners took as a sign that their much-loved queen was reluctant to leave them.