In Te Arawa tradition the ancestor Tamatekapua and his relatives set out for New Zealand from Hawaiki in a double-hulled canoe, after a shark rescued the crew from being eaten by a huge sea creature the people renamed their canoe – and themselves – Te Arawa, after a species of shark.

Tamatekapua and his people explored the North Island’s coast by canoe before settling in Maketū, in the western Bay of Plenty. Some of the group, including the explorer Īhenga, travelled south and settled around the Rotorua lakes, where they were able to use the geothermally heated water and steam, as well as the lakes’ fresh water.

Rangitihi was Tamatekapua's great-great-grandson. Rangitihi chose to position the Pakatore pā inland between Waiariki and Maketū, overlooking the Kaituna River. Through four strategic marriages, with the children of the Bay of Plenty’s most influential leaders, Rangitihi’s eight children were born. They later became known as Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru o Te Arawa – the eight pulsating hearts of Te Arawa. Through his children, Rangitihi laid the foundations for what was to become the modern day Te Arawa confederation of iwi and hapū.

Te Arawa multiplied and spread across the geothermal zone of the Central North Island, occupying lands in a continuous line from coast to volcanic mountain interior. The tribe’s settlement of the region progressed and in time, descendants of Rangitihi aligned themselves through intermarriage into the major kin groups known today as the confederation of Te Arawa.

How to cite this page: Paora Tapsell, 'Te Arawa', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/te-arawa/print (accessed 31 December 2022)

Further Reading:

• https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-arawa/print
• https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-arawa
• https://ngatirangitihi.iwi.nz/about-us/history/
• https://teara.govt.nz/en/whakapapa/1522/rangitihis-children

Sources

Mitira, T. H. (1972). Takitimu: Genealogical tables. Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd