5. LAKE OKATAINA SCENIC RESERVE CULTURAL/HISTORY The name Okataina means the lake of laughter, a shortened form of the original name Te Moana-i-Kataina-a-Te Rangitakaroro, which means The Ocean Where Te Rangitakaroro Laughed. The name and its meaning relate to an incident, approximately 300 years ago, where the famous Chief Te Rangitakaroro and his warriors were resting on what is now a submerged rock. It is said that one member of his group referred to the lake as an ocean and this was seen as a great joke by the rest of the group. Their laughter echoed around the lake and now remains enshrined in its name, which for ease of pronunciation was shortened to Okataina. In previous times this area was settled by different iwi (tribes) who either pre-dated or derived from Te Arawa waka. According to Ngati Tarawhai history, the first people to settle in the area was the iwi called Te Tini o Maruiwi (the myriads of Maruiwi). They were followed by Te Tini o Ruatomore (the myriads of Ruatomore) who were to later adopt the name Ngati Kahupungapunga. They were followed by Rakeiao, whose chiefs were Ngataketake and his son Kahuupoko. Later the iwi was to adopt the name Kahuupoko. Soon after came Ngati Hinehuia and their chiefs Ngatata and Te Niho who lived in two Pa, Te Tawa and Ouruaroa. Then came Ngati Tarawhai, the iwi who now regard themselves as having tangata whenua (authority) status to this area, their main Pa being Te Koutu. It was at the time of Te Rangitakaroro, a son of Tarawhai (the eponymous ancestor of Ngati Tarawhai), that the contemporary name of the area came about (initial paragraph). The Lake Okataina area was an important link in pre-european routes, when waka (canoes) were carried from Tarawera to Okataina, and from Okataina to Rotoiti. Okataina road follows one of these ancient portage routes. On 29 th January 1921, Ngati Tarawhai gifted the shores of Lake Okataina to the crown, to be set aside as reserves. This endowment was affixed with several conditions, one of which was that a committee of Ngati Tarawhai should administer the reserve. Today that responsibility rests with the Lake Okataina Scenic Reserve Board, which comprises members of Ngati Tarawhai and the Conservator of the Department of Conservation’s Bay of Plenty Conservancy. This is a brief outline of the history of the area and its people. Those wanting to know more in this line, must approach those who are considered as the repositories of the history. Bay of Plenty Super Sites: 10 Lake Okataina Scenic Reserve –Super Site Resource 4 5.1 TE KOUTU PENINSULA, LAKE OKATAINA, by Leith Gray Te Koutu Peninsula is the historic gem of Okataina mainly because of its magnificent state of preservation. It contains evidence of the achievement of a remarkable people, the Ngata Tarawhai of Okataina. There are other noteworthy remnants on Okataina (known only to a few people) such as rock paintings, sunken palisades and Mission station sites – but by far the most accessible is Te Koutu Pa. Before we look at Okataina Lake and foreshore we must realise that we are looking at a lake much changed from the time that the Maori made Okataina home. Okataina is an unstable lake, it has no visible outlet and it has only two permanent streams of significance feeding it. Even these are often merely trickles. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, Lake Okataina (as we know it now), was part of a valley system created by the Okataina caldera. A caldera is a huge tract of land that “caves in” following the expulsion of millions of tons of ash from volcanic vents. The underground caverns created by the volcanoes cannot withstand the weight of rock and soil above, and the land slumps. Lake Okataina was originally an arm of Lake Tarawera but the growth of the Haroharo Massif (those hills to the east of the lake), and the flows of lava from the many volcanoes that make up the massif, caused Tarawera and Okataina lakes to be divided. There is still a subterranean link with Lake Tarawera but this is subject to silting and clogging, thus the lake is subject to rises and falls of great magnitude. The area where this underground plug is presumed to be is considered by vulcanologists to be one of the most potentially active areas in Rotorua. To the untrained eye there is a deceptive calm and little evidence of any activity. We know that the lake has a history of rises and falls. Seismic activity often heralds a rise or fall. The 1931 Napier earthquake, for example, heralded a sudden fall of 3.5m in this lake. The cycle does not fall into any strict pattern, but a 7 – 10 year period of rise is often followed by a 7 – 10 year fall. We also know that during the period of Maori occupation, the lake was considerably lower than present, approximately 12m. One graphic representation of this was a lithograph by Charles Terry when he visited Te Koutu Peninsula in the 1840s. This showed the peninsula an almost bare steep point, the isthmus barren apart from a flax bush or two. The point itself was guarded by a double row of pointed Manuka stakes and a magnificent carved gatepost through which every land visitor had to pass. Bay of Plenty Super Sites: 11 Lake Okataina Scenic Reserve –Super Site Resource 4 There is evidence of 13 permanent or semi-permanent village sites on Okataina, some of these were continuously occupied and some used only during special seasons, for example – the bird hunting season or the rat hunt or harvesting season. To the best of our knowledge Te Koutu was never a full time residential Pa, it was only used by the full tribe in times of attack or stress. It is a perfect site for a fortified Pa. History seems to suggest that the inhabitants of the lake were never really peaceful or at peace for long. Okataina was a major route to other inland settlements. Local groups often became embroiled in fighting as war parties passed over the lake. A great number of travellers making journeys for various reasons passed through Okataina. One of the main peace time kaingas or villages was situated on the north western side of the lake, almost opposite Te Koutu. The terraces had large areas of flat land (now covered by the lake). Between the picnic site and Te Koutu is a spot where the priests of the tribe spent their days in worship of the Gods who looked after the growing of crops, gathering of food, management of wars etc. The magnificent cliff, Te Maori Kura, the backdrop to their altar would act as a message amplifier and chants directed at the cliff would be magnified, the echo carrying clear across the lake and every word could be heard by the people of “Tahunatapu”, the village on the opposite shore. Stories have come down of how Tohungas would spot advancing war parties bent on utu. From this vantage point the priest would signal the tribe thus preparing them for the attack much to the consternation of the would be surprise attackers. Tumakoha, a direct descendant from the Priest of the Arawa waka possessed truly awesome powers and control over natural and unnatural forces. It was said that he alone thwarted a surprise attack on Te Koutu Point by a band of fierce warriors sent by Hongi Hika to collect his heart. The attackers were determined enough to drag waka all the way from Rotoiti. As they started paddling from the shore this Tohunga, summoned up a great storm and whirlwind from a clear blue sky and mill pond lake. This filled the great bay from the Te Koutu Pa to the northern end of the lake with gigantic waves, seething waters and whirlpools. Overhead, a terrifying electrical storm raised great clashes of thunder and flashes of lightening split the sky. The resolute warriors fled as terrified wrecks, back the way only minutes before they had so bravely advanced. Near this rock face Te Maori Kura, in a site known to very few, is a Maori Tuuahu or altar. This is an intriguing link with the past. One can almost imagine the old Tohungas at the altar chanting chants to ensure the success of peaceable and warlike endeavours of this great tribe. Bay of Plenty Super Sites: 12 Lake Okataina Scenic Reserve –Super Site Resource 4 The Altar is unspectacular in its physical appearance – simply 7 large rocks placed in a semi circle. 6 rocks represented a different God responsible for the major facts of Maori life – one would have represented TJmatauenga, the God of War. Chants, to ensure the war parties success, would be made over this rock. Another rock represented hunting and harvest, and chants to register success would be made over this particular rock. The seventh stone placed in the centre and larger than the others, represented Ranginui. In a spot such as this a person develops a respect for a great culture and a great people. The Atua represented are Ranginui, the Sky Father, at centre; the other 6 were T;ne, Atua of the Forests; Tangaroa, Atua of the Water; TJmatauenga, Atua of Warfare and Battles; Haumiatiketike, Atua of the foods of the Forest; Rongo m; T;ne, Atua of the kJmara and cultivated plants; and Te Aputahi-a-pawa. (NB: no icon, image or effigy was ever made of Io the Supreme Being). The Maori of Okataina were a great people – direct descendants from the leaders of the Arawa waka.