36 • TE AO MAORI MAI I TE TAIRAWHITI NGĀ MAUNGA Tokatea and Te Whānau-a- Rākairoa

The twin peaks of Tokatea provide an impressive backdrop to and Taiharakeke in the foreground.

inland from Waipiro Bay. Rākairoa’s origins and connections will be Ko Tokatea te maunga Unravelling the story of Rākairoa is as discussed in the following articles. Suffice to say Tokatea is the mountain challenging as it is exciting and despite the little here that the many people who claim Te Whānau- He Mihi Ko Kiekie te awa we know about her, the place she occupies in a-Rākairoa descent can be found everywhere — Kiekie is the the whakapapa (genealogy) of Ngāti Porou is you just need to Google the web to see just how Ngā mihi ki a koutou me tēnei putanga Ko Te Whānau-a-Rākairoa te hapū inarguable. Her marriages, three in all that we many there are! In more recent times some of her rua tekau mā toru o, Ngā Maunga Kōrero o Rākairoa is the sub-tribe know of, begat the hapū we recognise now as, Te descendants have been described as, “Ngā wekāhu Te Tairāwhiti. Ka hoki pērā tō tātau haere Tihe mauri ora! Whānau-a-Rākairoa. Her origins are of the lower a Rākairoa”, literally, “the sprawling ‘couch’ grass ki te taha moana waenga i Whareponga Alas, the breath of life! Waiapu but her legacy resides in the Akuaku of Rākairoa” — an endearing term describing me Waipiro ki te maunga o Tokatea me blocks (East and West) in the Waipiro Bay area, just how far they have spread from their original te hunga e kīia nei, ko Te Whānau-a- land which it is said, was gifted to her children, Te homeland, in this case, from Akuaku. And to add Rākairoa. He nui ngā tāngata e kīia nei ETWEEN the seaside settlements of Haemata and Pona-pātukia, by Takapū-te-rakahia to the banter, there is the referencing to Rākairoa nō Rākairoa rātau, engari he pāku nei Whareponga and Waipiro lies an enclave (Akuaku East) and Takapu-atua (Akuaku West), “I” and Rākairoa “II” differentiating those at ngā kōrero e mōhiotia nei mōna. Kua Bthat proudly identifies itself as Te Whānau- the later being the daughter of Iritekura. The Akuaku from their relations in the Waiapu Valley. whakawhāititia ngā kongakonga kōrero a-Rākairoa. Not to be bundled up with its cousins descendants of Rākairoa at Akuaku also identify As we will also see in the stories that follow, these mōna me tōna mana, ā, ka kōrerotia hoki of Te Āitanga-a-Mate on one side and Te Whānau- themselves as Te Whānau-a-Te Haemata from the ancestors are very closely related. Let me not keep ngā kōrero mō Rākairoa kei Harataunga. a-Iritekura and Ngāi Taharōrā on the other, the daughter of Rākairoa, but which ever reference is you in suspense any longer — read on and all will Ka mutu ko ngā kōrero mō te pou haki descendants of Rākairoa these days centre mainly used, the group is one and the same. be revealed! i tū ai i Mataahu. Kāti, e noho, whakatā on their principal , Kiekie, a few kilometres mai, pānui mai, whakaarohia mai Welcome to the 23rd issue in the series, Rākairoa — Ancestress Extraordinaire! Ngā Maunga Kōrero o Te Tairāwhiti. In this edition we return up the coast Rākairoa II married brothers, Te Haere mai ki roto o Waiapu ki Hūkui-o-te-rangi and Hikatoa (not to the mountain of Tokatea, between a Ngāti Porou tūturu Whareponga and Waipiro and the at the same time of course) who Welcome to the Waiapu to Ngāti were the sons of Roro and Te Ani- tribe known as Te Whānau-a-Rākairoa. Porou proper There are many who claim descent from ngai-ao. Roro was the son of Rakai- Tētahi pāpāringa ki tētahi mataura and Tawake. Rakai-mataura Rākairoa but the stories about her are pāpāringa, he whānau kotahi not so prevalent. This issue will attempt and Tawake had another son named Where one cheek caresses another Rākai-hōea. Rākai-mataura, as to piece together her story and her for we are one family importance in the broader Ngāti Porou mentioned previously, was descended Mai i Pōhautea ki te Ahikouka, from Rongomai-whare-mānuka, the fabric. ka whakawhiti i te awa o Waiapū It also provides the opportunity to great-great-grandfather of Rākairoa Seaward from Pōhautea inland II. Rākairoa II also married the father present the Rākairoa influence at Kennedy to Ahikouka, crossing the Waiapū Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula as well of her former husbands, Roro, who River lived in his pā, Kōpū-te-rehu, located as an interesting story about the flagpole Mai i Paoaruku ki te huka o te at Kiekie Marae that formerly stood at near Turi-taka near . The tai ki Kōpuakanae story of Roro follows and although Mataahu. Therefore, sit down, relax, read Continuing on to Paoaruku and and let your thoughts wander. it predates the time of Rākairoa II by seaward again to Kōpuakanae a generation, it nevertheless, provides Ko ia nei a Ngāti Porou tūturu Principal resources referenced for a fascinating insight of the backdrop This is the territory that Kiekie Marae comprising the meeting house, Hau, (foreground) and the against which Rākairoa II was born, this collection include: Raurunui-a-Toi embraces Ngāti Porou proper. dining room (left), Rākairoa. Lectures (Ngata, 1944); A History of raised and lived. Te Āitanga-a-Mate (MA Thesis by a descendant of Ruawaipū. Pōkai a-niwaniwa, the only daughter of The significance of the ancestors Monty Soutar, 1988); He Whānau Nō HE ancestress, Rākairoa is as on the other hand was the daughter Porourangi. Their children included referred to above and their connection Maraehara (Tibble, 2007); Horouta enigmatic as she is mysterious. of Rongomai-tū-ahu and a great Hinepare, Huanga, Putaanga and to each other is evidenced in many (Halbert, 1999); Tohunga : TThere are two ancestors that grandchild of Porourangi through his Rākaimataura and they occupied the of the meeting-houses of the marae Paki Harrison (Walker, 2008); Nga bear the name Rākairoa and both daughter Rongomai-a-niwaniwa. lands from Paoaruku to Kōpuakanae along the . There is Wahine Kai-hautu o Ngati Porou (MA occupy a critical place in the whakapapa Rākairoa I had a sister, Te Aokairau, on northern side of the Waiapu River. Putaanga (Tikitiki); Rongomai- Thesis by Apirana Mahuika, 1973); The (genealogy) of Ngāti Porou. The and between them they owned the Rākairoa I married Te Aohore, the son aniwaniwa at Rāhui Marae (Tikitiki); History of Tūwhakairiora (MA Thesis by Rākairoa that this collection of stories lands on the lower reaches of the of Mahaki-ewe-karoro (older brother Te Aokairau at Taumata-a-Tapuhi Te Waipaina Awarau, 1927); Ngāti Porou is about is Rākairoa the second (shown Waiapu River, which had been gifted of Hauiti) and Hine-mākaho. Their (); Hinepare (Rangitukia); Leadership (Soutar, 2000); The Maori hereafter as Rākairoa II). Rākairoa II to them by their father, Rongomai- children included, Hia-kai-tāria, Tuki- Pōkai (Tīkapa); Rākai-te-mania (Te Tribes of the East Coast of was, however, a great granddaughter whare-mānuka. This grouping umu and Rākai-te-mānia. This family Horo); Rākai-hōea (Wai-o-mata- (Gudgeon, 1894); Te Rakau i Mataahu of Rākairoa the first (Rākairoa I). is generally referred to as Ngāti occupied the lands from Pōhautea to tini) and Porourangi (Wai-o-mata- (Fowler, 1961). Rākairoa II was born about 1675AD. Porou Tūturu and is encapsulated Ahikouka on the southern side of tini). A special thanks to Wiremu Henare, Rākairoa I (circa 1575AD) was in the whakataukī recited above. the Waipau River. The marriage of Thus Rākairoa II boasted an Wiki Gilvray, Margaret (Bubbles) the daughter of Rongomai-whare- The children and grandchildren Rākairoa I’s daughter, Hia-kai-tāria to impeccable pedigree descending from Harrison. mānuka and his wife Te Rangi-tauria- of Rākairoa I and Te Aokairau are Maru-papanui, produced a daughter, the most aristocratic genealogical lines Photographs of Rākairoa Marae i-waho. Rongomai-whare-mānuka, virtually a ‘who’s who’ of Ngāti Porou Te Aomania. She married Rongo- of , Ruawaipū and Porourangi. cannot be used without permission of was the son of Pōhatū and Pōkai. whakapapa and are currently reflected tā-ihi-ao and had two daughters, Te And although little was written of Marae trustees. Pōhatū traces a line of descent back to in the names of hapū and marae along Ihiko-o-te-rangi, who became the her as a person, the whakapapa from Walton Walker — School of Niwa who was the daughter of Tūere the banks of the Waiapu River. second wife of the legendary warrior, which she descended and the legacy Humanities, Tairāwhiti Polytechnic. who was a grandson of Porourangi. Te Aokairau married Tamataua Tū-whaka-iri-ora, and our lady of she left behind speak volumes — tihe Tūere’s wife, Muri-whaka-puia was who was a descendant of Rongomai- moment, Rākairoa II. mauri ora!