This walk features a Lord of the Rings location, where after leaving the Shire Frodo and Sam hide from the Nazgul under a bank on the road. The tree was artificial and the tree roots were props … so the real spot is a bit anti-climactic, but we took a cringey tourist photo anyway as we are fans of the Lord of the Rings.
Further on in the walk there are all sorts of interesting structures to play on based on native creatures, insects and fish.
When we reached the top of Mount Victoria we found the view was spectacular. We were fortunate the wind had died down so we were able to enjoy being there.
The walk is next to Opape Beach. It’s an old coach road. There are some nice views from the track but the land is neglected. It doesn’t look like the track is used much. The views would be better if they cleared away the gorse.
The track is a joint venture between Nga Tamahaua hapu, Opotiki District Council and Environment Bay of Plenty. Which to me means no-one’s in charge of looking after the land.
“At Ngai Tamawe have a really important historical narrative about the people who were there previously and were the early settlers. They were called Pananehu. Many of the women at that time were tiny women with small cervixes. When they mated with the Pananehu who were the giant people as we refer to them, many of those children died in pregnancy because the women’s cervixes were too small. The original name of Opape was Opepe. The namecommemorated this event. Ngai Tamahaua has a waiata entitled “Me Penei Ana.” The waiata is unique to the hapu. It memorialises the loss of the children. We’re the only ones who sing it on ceremonial occasions and at tangi.
We stopped here to eat breakfast on our way home from Wellington after witnessing the end of the protest at Parliament Grounds. We felt shattered.
Eating our food, we watched a couple of divers enter the sparkling water. A man and his dog played fetch with a driftwood stick and two yachts sailed slowly by. In the calm and tranquil peace of the morning we realised life would go on.
This is a stunning part of the lower North Island west coast. Mana Island could be seen in the distance and beyond that, misty and barely disernable, the mountains of the South Island.
Our breakfast spotLooking out to Mana Island Te Pa o Kapo, Titahi Bay
History
The place name means the Pa of Kapo. The tribe was Ngati Ira. Te Pa o Kapo may have been occupied for as long as 400 years, but when Te Rauparaha invaded the area in 1819-20 the pa had already been abandoned.
Ethnographer Elsdon Best (who was born at Tawa) visited the pa and was impressed by the superb defences. He noted that at the time the stumps of the totara pallisading were still visible.
I suspect the rock at the site may have been a tuahu. Each canoe and tribe had one, a sacred place marked by a stone.
A plaque in front of the stone reads, “This is the site of a fortified pa occupied by Ngati Ira prior to 1820. The defensive bank and artificially narrowed causeway were once clearly visible. Archaeological evidence suggests there was an extensive settlement in this area.”
Walk: Wellinton 13
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Kupe’s anchor
It is said that Kupe’s anchor used to lie on the Porirua foreshore. This is the narrative or korero from the Te Ara Encyclopedia of NZ about Kupe’s anchor:“The Polynesian explorer, Kupe, visited this area and named Porirua Harbour, Mana Island and his landing place, Komanga Point, situated south of Titahi Bay. The anchor stone from Kupe’s canoe, Mātāwhaorua, rested for many years on what is now Ngati Toa Domain. It is now at Te Papa.”
Be aware, this is a classic example of revisionist history about canoes and dates of discovery. Te Ara are wrong on two counts; they haven’t mentioned there were two explorers named Kupe and they failed to point out the stone is actually local greywacke.
Here’s the stone which is NOT from Kupe’s canoe. It used to lie on the beach at Porirua.
Ngati Ira: Intermarried with Ngati Tara. In 1819 a war party comprising Taranaki, Atiawa, Ngati Toa, Ngapuhi and Ngati Whatua attacked the Wellington area, destroying the main Ngati Ira fortifications. Most Ngati Ira fled to the Wairarapa where they still live today.
KUPE’S VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND: Kupe and his people discovered people at various places. These people were the Mamoe, the Turehu, the Tahurangi, the Poke-pokewai, the Patupaiarehe, the Turepe and the Hamoamoa. “Such is the story as told me by my elder Tati Wharekawa.”
This is a beautiful farm park at the end of Whangaparoa peninsula. It has everything – native bush full of native birds, a waterfall, views, a farm, beaches and a camping area. A pest proof fence has been constructed since our last visit in 2010.
Te Toto Gorge is on a winding gravel road near Raglan, further up from the famous surfing spot at Manu Bay. It’s the shortest walk with the longest coastal views. The viewing platform is built over the top of the gorge. Looking down you’ll see a fertile, sheltered amphitheatre with the remains of terraced gardens and karaka groves.
The Matakore were regarded as uri of Maui who were cultivating Mt Karioi near Whaingaroa (Raglan) at the time Kupe arrived according to Te Aotearangi Wirihana in 1888.
Te Toto means “the blood.” Te Toto may be linked to the deaths of the ancients of whom one old local (from about 1860) referred to when she indicated that the Raglan petroglyph rocks were made by the old ‘kings’ that were here before they arrived. See the article from Papers Past, dated 1869 below.
Raglan Recap, Tangata Whenua :“Now there is something else related to one of these rocks (since destroyed) for it revealed a large wet cave close by that penetrates into Mount Karuni (now called Karioi). Inside are a number of calcified skeletons, 87 in total. According to the reports of the eighteen hundreds, those that found this cave and these skeletons, were surprised to learn that the local Maori did not know of their existence…but there was a story of a very great leader who lived in the area long ago. He was here alright, and long before Maori arrived in the Tainui Canoe at Kawhia Harbour and began to roam the area before dominating and chasing the locals away.”
Sidestep, Tangata Whenua, Te Toto Gorge : “However, we want to draw attention to some place names up and down the Waikato coastline. Many are about tragedy, burning, death and sorrow. At Raglan however we have Te Toto Gorge. It means blood or bleed. Yet there are no stories or myths relating to this location in Maori folklore. All that exists are the eroded earthworks that suggest it was occupied between about 1700 and 1800. But this area was the scene of something else many hundreds of years earlier.
The original inhabitants that lived in the area were chased and forced off the cliffs and plummeted to their deaths. There the bones have lain for hundreds of years near the base of the cliffs; still buried under constant rockfall and undergrowth.”
Thefirst peopleand Kupe
Kupe and his people discovered people at various places. These people were the Mamoe, the Turehu, the Tahurangi, the Poke-pokewai, the Patupaiarehe, the Turepe and the Hamoamoa. They lived on the fronds and berries of the trees, and the roots of the earth. They were expert in preparing such foods, and in snaring and spearing the birds in forest and fish in stream. They also prepared food from the tender parts of the nikau, the tikoukou, the para and the mamaku (tree ferns).
Another name that people were called by was Te Tini-o-Toi-kai-rakau (the multitude of Toi, eater of trees). Toi being an ancestor of a section of that people. They dug the roots with long ko (spades), an implement unknown to the Maori before we came to those islands, and found those people just as Kupe had described them. Kupe was attacked by, and in return attacked those people of Karioi, near Raglan, and Aotea on the West Coast. These people were the Ngati-Matakore so-called, not the tribe of that name now living here in this island, who descend from us of “Tainui.”
Te Toto Gorge Raglan A historically significant site, the Te Toto Gorge south of Raglan, New Zealand not only boasts stunning and uninterrupted views of the rugged west coast, it also provides an insight into traditional Maori gardens.
We didn’t have time to walk down to the terraced gardens, but here’s some videos from Dave Horry, a man who explored the area.
Te Toto Te Toto (the blood) is a series of three coastal amphitheatres at the foot of Mt Karioi (the lingering).
Into Te Toto Going down into the Gorge, and exploring for an afternoon.
Abel Tasman escapes from the South Taranaki Bight/Cook Strait/Tasman Bay and runs out to sea. Then he turns east, and sees land again on 28th December. The ‘high land’ he sees is marked on his chart. He sees Mount Karioi, on the coast just south of Raglan.
A pleasant walk, 20 minutes return, leads down a bush track to a lookout with beautiful views over the Tasman Sea. Looking to the north is Ngarunui Beach and Raglan Harbour, and to the south is Manu Bay with it’s famous surf break.
I’ve zoomed in on the surfers on Manu Bay. Raglan is famous for its surfing beaches.
Looking north, Ngarunui Beach, Raglan
The waves are great for surfers at Manu Bay, but they’re eroding the rocks with ancient petroglyphs which are further up the beach, unprotected. This photo is from the National Library of NZ : Rock with Maori markings, at Raglan, circa 1920.
Historical Rocks on the Raglan coastline.“These petroglyph inscribed rocks are gradually being destroyed seemingly with the tacit sanction of some Maoris, local government and authorities.” Why aren’t the authorities exercising Kaitiakitanga (protection, guardianship) over these historic rock carvings? It’s an archeological crime.
Further up the unpaved and winding road traveling south, is Te Toto Gorge. It’s the shortest walk with the longest coastal views and looking down you’ll see a fertile, sheltered amphitheatre with the remains of terraced gardens and karaka groves.
Raglan and the west coast : Harbour 50 km south of Port Waikato, 13 km long and 2–3 km wide, with two arms fed by the Waingaro and Waitetuna rivers. Whāingaroa means ‘the long pursuit’, referring to the Tainui waka’s search for its destination. From the late 1700s the Ngāti Māhanga tribe occupied surrounding land.
This walk has the best views of Auckland. There’s also a cafe in the historic tea kiosk at 250 Puhi Huia Road that dates back to 1926. The cafe contains an information centre where you can learn something about the maunga (mount) after prehistoric times.
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki trace their descent from the Maruiwi. The son of Maruiwi, Tāmaki, went on to lead the people of Te Tini o Maruiwi to settle the land now bearing his name.
Maungawhau (the mountain of the whau plant) is one of Tamaki’s tapu places. Its impressive crater is known as Te Kapua Kai a Mataaho – the food bowl of Mataaho. It was here that ceremonies were held to placate him and prevent the renewed release of the volcanic forces he could influence. Maungawhau was the pa- of Hua Kaiwaka, the grandfather of Kiwi Tamaki. He consolidated the descendents groups of the Isthmus as indicated by his identification as the ‘waka eater’, a metaphor for his gathering together tribes and thus bequeathed his successor a united Waiohua alliance “as numerous as ants”. Source: BALMORAL & SANDRINGHAM HERITAGE WALKS
The Patupairahe or Turehu
Ancient History:“Maungawhau, ‘the mountain of the whau’, a shrub believed to have been growing in the area. The shrub was valued for its cork-like wood, used for floats on fishing nets…Maori legend tells of Maungawhau’s [Mt. Eden’s] first inhabitants, the Patupaiarehe or Turehu, who were skilled in the arts of fishing, hunting, weaving and warfare. It is said that this nocturnal people were destroyed as they lingered building a bridge after dawn” (see The Changing Face Of Mt. Eden, pg. 8, Mt. Eden Borough Council, 1989).
Another early explorer noted: ‘Arriving at the foot of the mountain [Mt. Eden] we assayed its ascent in the course of which my friend evinced a deep interest in traces of Maori fortifications of a past age, which were everywhere in evidence, the escarpments, trenches and what had once been covered ways and store pits though fallen in or overgrown, were yet in a wonderful state of recognition. Several of the stone walls of these fortifications could still be traced with considerable accuracy, although the oldest living Maori could not tell when, or by whom, they were erected.
The Maori race show a wonderful aptitude for field engineering in warfare, and these traces of ancient fortifications, in particular, have often called forth the highest commendation from those most capable of judging such matters. It must have taken a much larger population than was then to be found to man these fortifications effectively, so extensive were they, the whole mountain appearing to be girt by them, line after line, from bottom to top (see Sketches of Early Colonisation in New Zealand -and its Phases of Contact With the Maori Race, (circa late 1840’s), by “Te Manuwiri”, pg. 123, Whitcomb & Tombs).
A battle between two Maori tribes
A Marutuahu delegation duly attended a hui at Puketutu. While there, they also accepted an offer to visit that section of Wai o Hua at Maungawhau (Mt Eden).
On their return journey from Maungawhau, the Marutuahu delegation was ambushed in the bracken fern on the ridge now known as Meadowbank, at a spot near St Johns College. Two high ranking Ngati Maru chiefs were murdered and the a site was named Patutahi (Killed Together).
In revenge the Marutuahu raised a taua (war party) led by Rautao of Ngati Maru, a son and brother of the murdered chiefs, and departed for Tamaki Makaurau.
They sacked Waiheke Island and its surrounds before entering the Tamaki River and destroying pa on the isthmus, including Taurere (Taylor’s Hill), Maungarei (Mt Wellington), Otahuhu (Mt Richmond) and Rarotonga (Mt Smart).
Rautao used the Tauoma portage to cross to the Manukau Harbour and, finding the district almost deserted, continued on to retrieve the hidden waka Puhinui, thwarting attempts by the locals to take it for themselves.
The captured enemy, seeking leniency, confessed it was the people of Maungawhau who were responsible for the ambush and murders. The expedition then headed at pace to Maungawhau.
At Maungawhau Rautao avenged his murdered father and brother by ordering that no quarter be given and no prisoners to be taken or consigned to the hangi. Everything was destroyed and burnt to the ground.
So severe was the destruction that Maungawhau was never again occupied.
Mount Eden offers a wonderful vantage point of the surrounding area. In order to protect the volcanic cone 27 hectares forming the Mt Eden Domain was set aside as crown land in the 1870s. The road to the summit was formed in 1879 utilising prison labour. During the 1920s access was improved with the laying of paths and steps to the summit. In 1927 a tea kiosk was erected on the mountain to serve the many visitors who made the trek up Mt Eden. The kiosk was surrounded by rose gardens planted during the depression of the 1930s. The mountain remains a popular tourist attraction.
Windmill Domain, Corner Mt Eden Road and Windmill Road: The Mt Eden Borough Council’s history of the area notes that when animal bones were scarce the gruesome practice of using human bones collected from prehistoric burial sites was undertaken. The windmill was demolished in 1929.
Whose bones were ground up?
Eden Mill in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga was built in 1843 to grind grain. For over a decade in the 1860’s it was used to grind up the skeletal remains of countless generations of Patupaiarehe into fertiliser. Many tens of thousands of skeletons were removed from burial caves for this purpose and sold to the mill. Maori of the time had no concerns about the fate of these ‘Tangata Whenua’ bones and openly stated to the authorities, “Do as you wish, with these bones, for these are not our people.”
This is a walk to the site of the former Signal Station. From that spot there’s a sweeping view of Hokianga Heads, the coast, Tasman Sea and the villages of Omapere and Opononi.
Arai Te Uru is the name of the Taniwha (mythological sea monster) which guards the harbour entrance with its sister Taniwha Niwa which stands guard on the opposite shore.
Signal Station Track: The Signal Station was in operation from 1838 – 1951 to guide ships over through the treacherous harbour entrance until being replaced by an automated lighthouse. Today all that remains is a few upright timbers and a horizontal beam.
The full name of Hokianga harbour is Hokianga-nui-o-Kupe”, meaning “the final departing place of Kupe. Kupe is a legendary figure, a Polynesian chief from Hawaiki who was involved in the discovery of New Zealand.
Each canoe and tribe had its tuahu, a sacred place marked by a stone. This huge stone is the tuahu of Kupe, erected as a memorial to him at Pakanae marae, near Opononi. It was moved here in the 1960s from the upper Hokianga Harbour.
Traditions about Kupe appear among iwi (peoples) of the following areas: Northland, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tainui, Whanganui-Taranaki, Rangitāne, and the South Island. Details about him differ from iwi to iwi.
Early accounts from the Ngāti Kahungunu area consistently place Kupe on board the Tākitimu canoe or name as his companions people who are strongly associated with the Tākitimu. The few references to Kupe in South Island sources indicate that the traditions are substantially the same as those of Ngāti Kahungunu, with whom Ngāi Tahu, the main tribe of the South Island, had strong genealogical and trading links.
The local iwi is Te Roroa, a sub tribe of Ngati Whatua. They occupy the region between the Kaipara and Hokianga.
The Burial cave near the pilot station: On the southside of Hokianga Heads there was a cave in a perpendicular cliff, which was the burial place of the people of Hokianga from time immemorial. Ramaroa was the name of the cave. To reach the cave men were let down over the cliff with a rope. When that part of the country was purchased by John Martin as a pilot station in March, 1832, the people removed the bones to another place, and it became common (noa) or free from tapu. Source: https://kaihuvalleyhistory.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/1-from-the-sea-we-came.pdf
Ngapuhi trace their lineage back to Rahiri, who was born at Whiria Pa. “Hong Hika tried to conquer Whiria in 1813, without success. Join me in a drone over Whiria where ancient earthworks are still clearly visible.”
It’s not far from Pakanae marae where the stone tuahu (memorial) to Kupe is.
There were two explorers named Kupe. The original discoverer of New Zealand named Kupe flourished some ten generations before Toi: THE ACCOUNT OF KUPE AND TAINUI. Source: The Journal of the Polynesian Society, Volume 28 1919 > Volume 28, No. 110 > The account of Kupe and Tainui, by George Graham, p 111-116
There were people here before the arrival of Kupe.
The article from the Journal of the Polynesian Society states that Kupe and his people discovered people at various places, according to elder Tati Wharekawa; “These people were the Mamoe, the Turehu, the Tahurangi, the Poke-pokewai, the Patupaiarehe, the Turepe and the Hamoamoa. They lived on the fronds and berries of the trees, and the roots of the earth. They were expert in preparing such foods, and in snaring and spearing the birds in forest and fish in stream.”
Monica Matamua of the Ngati Hotu tribe confirms this. She said that everywhere Kupe went, he found the land already occupied by people, some were fair skinned tribes. Here’s a close up of the Kupe memorial stone, and Monica Matamau’s account.
NZShortWalks 