Haerenga o Mataatua

About

Haeretanga o Maatatua (meaning 'The resting place of Maatatua') refers to Takou Bay, my whenua. The story goes that Puhi-moana-ariki (an ancestor of the Ngāpuhi tribe) arrived at Takou with a husband, Kohakoha, wife, Tawhiura, and their children on board. The couple were quarrelling for some reason and in the heat of their argument, the sea whipped up and they were unable to enter the Takou river. Puhi commanded everyone to be tossed overboard and suddenly the storm abated. Puhi chanted and turned everyone to stone. At the entrance of the river lies the boulders Kohakoha, Tawhiurau and their children and they became the guardians of the entrance. Puhi feared the waka would be stolen so he took it further up the Takou awa and turned it into stone also.