Whatihua

Whatihua was a Māori rangatira (chief) in the Tainui confederation of tribes, based at Kāwhia, New Zealand.

He quarrelled with his brother, Tūrongo, and as a result Tainui was split between them, with Whatihua receiving the northern Waikato region, including Kāwhia.

[2] As youths, Whatihua and Tūrongo went hunting kūaka (Bar-tailed godwits) on Kaiwhai island off Kāwhia.

[4] When the two brothers reached adulthood, Tūrongo travelled south to Patea and got engaged to Rua-pū-tahanga, of Ngāti Raukawa.

[8] There he divided his lands between Whatihua and Tūrongo, roughly along the aukati line that later formed the northern boundary of the King Country.

[9] The north went to Whatihua, who remained at Kāwhia, while the south went to Tūrongo, who was sent inland and settled at Rangiātea, near Waikeria.

[11] As she was resting, Whatihua caught up with her and there was nowhere to run, so Rua-pū-tahanga leapt off the cliffs into the roiling waves, where a taniwha, Rākei, picked her up and carried her away.

You will die in your pursuit of my body, now set apart" or "The tides of Rākei of the hundred monster's eyes have risen," both now proverbial sayings.

[13] He broke into Whatihua's house in the night and stole it, wandering around repeatedly so that the tracks would appear to belong to a large group of thieves.

[13] Whatihua led a war party of a thousand men to Te Whena to reclaim the comb, but Mangō attacked him with a force of nine hundred at Mahea-takataka.