This journey begins on Maukatere The Floating Mountains of Ngai Tahu, weaving its way along Te Ara Wairua- The Spirits Journey
These Pūrākau were lovingly gathered from the kaitiaki and mana whenua of Te Tai Tokerau Northland Region
The people opened their hearts to three wild wahine who were on a hikoi to see first-hand where their loved ones have travelled before meeting Hine-Nui-Te-Pō
These are the words of the storyteller
Te Rerenga Wairua
In Māori mythology it is believed that the spirits of our dearly departed take one last journey to Te Rerenga Wairua and return home to Hawaiiki. These wairua make their way South, to the summit of Maukatere - the floating mountain. As the story is told when the Maunga is immersed in cloud and takes on the appearance of floating, our loved one's then take the leap and begin their haerenga, following Te Ara Wairua. As they trace this sacred pathway along the muriwhenua, they bid farewell to all they knew. Special ‘koha’ are left along the path by wairua to mark the way for the those who follow. Once at Te Rerenga Wairua, the path winds down the roots of an ancient Pohutukawa tree and descends into the water below. They make their way underwater to Manawatāwhi, meaning ‘last breath’ and climb up to the highest peak of Ohaua. It is here where they turn one last time and look back, as they bid their final farewell before returning home to our ancestral land, Hawaiiki-a Nui.
The plum farmer… Ahipara
...moved from Katikati to retire with his wife. Home is now in Ahipara, where they have a piece of land and spend their time with the horses and growing Heritage fruit trees. We stopped to buy some of his delicious plums and also some beautiful peacock feathers...random! (After we got them he told us peacocks are a wild pest in the North, but are quite delicious when cooked slowly) :/ Ummm...Kia ora for the plums ;)
The kuia at the hokohoko shop... Kaitaia
...told us to be sure not to take any kai to Cape Reinga, as it is tapu. Duly noted...Kia ora whaea
The wahine and the tambourine… Kaitaia
...spoke to us about a new Marae that has been built in Northland, and serenaded us with a story of the beauty of Kauri Point and Doubtless Bay. Keep singing whaea...tino rawe!!
The tane at the warehouse... Kaitaia
...spoke passionately about frames he just bought for his maps of Te Ika a Maui and Te Wai Pounamu. These maps name the many Iwi and hapu throughout Aotearoa and where their turangawaewae can be found. Ka mau te wehi!
The wahine at the library... Kaitaia
...a fellow traveller who we met at the library shared about the raw beauty she had just experienced at Te Rerenga Wairua. A highlight for her was the enormous sandunes. Kia pai te haerenga!
The kotiro at the icecream stall... Pukenui
…"I reckon that when our loved ones pass, they hikoi down to Te Wai Pounamu, and as they travel up Te Rerenga Wairua, they stop and visit everyone along the way. Then they can go to the Cape”. He reka te aihikiriimi!
The tane at the Fish and Chip shop... Waitiki
...painted us a picture of the beautiful landscape of Paua. His korero was “when you look back at the mountains as you pass through Paua you will see the silhouette of the sleeping lady, Inuwhao. It is a favourite for local pig hunters, who will tell you that they just got a pig at the lady. Mmmm...pere pai!
The wahine at the camp office... Tapotupotu
...ok so there appears to be two names for this beautiful bay depending on who you speak to. According to this wahine the camp was historically a farm and there was a sharing shed where the office is now sitting. One day the farmer noticed one of the hipi come down from the hills and go out into the water and was swept out to sea - (potu) As he watched, the tide pushed it around and returned it back to shore - (potu). Many people have drifted out and then been returned back safely of the beach.
Tapotupotu – to go and then return. We may have gone but we will return... kokoru ataahua!
Wahine and Tane at the camp... Taputaputa
...and so, the story continues. Whai have long drifted into the bay at Taputaputa to rest. When they leave to carry on their journey the sand is so fine that their imprints are left behind, and if you are lucky enough to be airborne in this stunning piece of our whenua you can see these prints from the air. Taputaputa you have left your imprint in our hearts...whatu ngarongaro he tangata, toitū te whenua x
The aunty doing mahi at the cape... Cape Reinga
...Aunty comes from Te Hapua, population 130 who are all whanau. She tells us that not just anyone can fish in the harbour here, you need to whakapapa back here or be with someone who does. “It’s how we protect our cupboard”. Nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.
The Hairy Scootsman... Te Rerenga Wairua
...travelled from Bluff to Cape Reinga, on a moped, in 13 days – max speed 35 k!! He was raising money and awareness for the I am hope charity. We were lucky enough to meet him in the final minutes of his journey. What a top guy - noble effort Scotty! eke tonu!
Ahikaa Adventures... Te Paki
...a beautiful couple who are manawhenua of this area, and are kaitiaki for the native poraka (frogs) that live here. These frogs love waiata, and if you sing to them, they might just sing back. We sang and they joined in – I'm not sure who sounded better...you be the judge haha. The poraka especially love Bob Marley and waiata...ko au hoki!
...they also give much aroha to the tuna (eel) who after making the long journey from Tonga are getting killed by the overused waterways due to tourism. Whaea spoke of one tuna in particular that was in a very bad way. She moved it to a safe place in the river but it looked like she wasn’t going to make it. Whaea never gave up and returned each day to do Karakia and mirimiri for her. The tuna never gave up either, and on the last trip to see her, Whaea saw a beautiful rainbow which she saw as a sign that the Tuna had won her battle, and sure enough the tuna had carried on her haerenga...kaua e whakararu!
...then we heard the korero of the Pupuharakeke, a snail like creature who were known to live in the harakeke. Back in the day tangata whenua would set up camp near the harakeke knowing that if anyone crept up the pupuharakeke would make a squealing sound and alert them so they could make their escape. Whaea had one of these shells around her neck, which was said to be millions of years old and was found on Motuopao, an island near Cape Reinga. Ngati Kuri have ownership rights to these Taonga, and should only be worn by them...he iti, he pounamu
Wahine in the office at Spirits Bay...The story of Ihuangaro
...and the story goes like this. The local tribe of Spirits Bay were tricked by a neighbouring tribe who wanted to take over their whenua. This rival tribe cunningly built a huge sandcastle on the beach in the shape of a whale, and covered it with fish they had just caught. As tangata whenua began to notice the seagulls swooping on the fish, they looked down to see a whale laying on the beach. They came down the maunga to check it out and – big mistake- were nearly slaughtered. Some however managed to return to safety, and as a mark of respect for the cleverness of the opposing chief a face like rock was named after him, Ihuangaro. It is local custom to hongi Ihuangaro as you ascend the maunga. Taringa whakarongo!
Whanau fishing on the wharf – The tales of Dog Island... Te Hapua
...One story is that the Kurahaupo waka got too close to the island and was damaged on the rocks. It is said that seals were swimming in the water, which looked like dogs. These ‘dogs’ were killed and the fur was used to make the repairs needed to make it to shore. Whakaaro nui Māori.
...the second tale is of special dogs that lived on the island, who no one was allowed to touch. Only one tohunga would feed them, and did it with a stick so as not to make contact. Their tūtae was said to be green, which was then used for tamoko, and Ngati kuri are well known for their tamoko. Tino Rawe!
...Tumatahina was a great leader, who was said to be 7 metres tall. His people were being chased by an attacking tribe, and to escape Tumatahina led them out to Murimotu island just as the tide was coming in. By the time they got across to Murimotu the tide was at its highest. The rival tribe could not get across so decided to wait until morning to attack. As they waited Tumatahina got all the wahine to start weaving a rope out of harakeke. When it was finished, he swam silently across and secured the rope on the other side and swam back. Under the cover of darkness Tumatahina ordered his people to cross to the other side swiftly and silently, ensuring that every person stood in the footprint of the one before them. Tumatahina was the last to cross and followed in the path of the others taking the rope with him. When the rival tribe woke and crossed, they found nothing but a single set of large footprints crossing back to the mainland. They were furious and the chase began. Eventually Tumatahina was caught alone, and as there was only one set of footprints his people were not pursued any further and escaped. He aha te tangata!
Tane at the gym – The story of Te Pa... Kaeo
...The maunga in the centre of Kaeo is known as Pohui. Back in the day this was the site of Te Pa, and was a place where all local Māori held their hui and made all their decisions. Pakeha were not allowed up there and had to congregate at the bottom and wait for the outcome. This congregation is how Kaeo was formed.
Matua in the car – Story of Whangaroa... Kaeo
...Many years ago, logs were floated down the harbour to be milled at half tide. It was such an awesome sight to see as there would be hundreds at a time.
St Michael’s Church – The battle of Ohaeawai...
...Here stands a church that is a peaceful commemoration of the battle that took place here. Casualties of both parties are buried and are remembered here. Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate
Tane with the watermelon... Kaikohe
...we met a tane who had a waimeri stall as we were heading out of town. The family business has been going for 20 years, it was his whanau who invented watermelon icecream to sell at Waitangi and they have been going strong ever since.
...we met two wahine who spoke to us about this exciting new multi-sensory experience. Manea takes you on a journey through the story of Kupe, the legendary Māori navigator who spent 40 years living in the Hokianga harbour, before returning to his ancestral Homeland of Hawaiki. It was said he was first to land here and bought about the birth of our nation. "He ao! He ao! He aotea! He aotearoa"
The story of Tane Mahuta... Kauri Forest
...this was the last stop, and what a noble way to end our journey. Just being in the presence of the great Kauri was awe inspiring. Time stood still as we took in the mauri of the majestic giant. And even though there were many visitors, it was a peaceful and serene experience. Pono. We took some time out to sit and just be, and when it felt right, stood at the foot of Tane Mahuta, God of the Forest. We paid homage to the mighty Rakau the only way we know how, with karakia, waiata and haka.
“Toitu te marae o Tāne, toitu te marae o Tangaroa, toitu te whenua”