Arawa (canoe)

The Te Arawa confederation of Māori iwi and hapū based in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty areas trace their ancestry from the people of this canoe.

[1] A large tree was cut down by four men called Rata, Wahieroa, Ngāhue and Parata, to make the waka which came to be known as Arawa.

"Hauhau-te-rangi" and "Tūtauru" (made from New Zealand greenstone brought back by Ngāhue) were the adzes used for the time-consuming and intensive work.

[15] In addition, the canoe brought over two gods, one called Itupaoa, which was represented by a roll of tapa, and another stone carving buried at Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua, which is perhaps to be identified with Matuatonga.

[16] The waka was completed and berthed in Whenuakura Bay while Tama-te-kapua, chief of the canoe, attempted to find a priest for the journey.

However, while they were on board, Tama-te-kapua signalled to his men to quickly set sail, and before Ngātoro-i-rangi and his wife could react they were far out to sea.

However, Tama-te-kapua untied the cord from Kearoa's hair and attached it to the bed in order to have sex with her, repeating this over a number of nights.

The Arawa canoe continued on to New Zealand, finally sighting land at Whangaparaoa near Cape Runaway in Te Moana-a-Toi (the Bay of Plenty).

[22] The canoe then travelled north up the coast, past Whakaari (White Island), to the Coromandel Peninsula, where Tama-te-kapua first sighted the mountain Mount Moehau and laid claim to it as his home and final resting place.

[14] Heading south again, the Arawa landed at Reponga island, where the crew left two magic birds, called Mumuhou and Takareto, to let voyagers know when the sea would be rough or calm.

After landfall, Ruaeo arrived on a separate canoe, Pukateawainui, took revenge on Tama-te-kapua, and led a group consisting of Tuarotorua, Marupunganui, Taunga, and Kawatutu inland towards Lake Rotorua.

[28] This act of destruction was avenged by Hatupatu, who killed Raumati and brought his head to Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua.

[30] Today the descendants of the crew say that the bow piece of Arawa is Maketu and the stern-piece is Mount Tongariro, a metaphorical description of the territory they occupy.