The Iwi and people of Te Rarawa have historically occupied and utilised our coastal marine areas for an estimated 2000 years.
The traditional coastal rohe of Te Rarawa is described as the area from the Hokianga harbour north to Te Oneroa a Tohe (the Ninety Mile Beach) at Hukatere, out on the waka trails across Te Moana Tapokapoka a Tawhaki (Tasman Sea) and Te Moana a nui a Kiwa (Pacific Ocean) to Hawaiki. TE TAI HAUAURU COASTAL MARINE AREA AND TAUROA PENINSULA Cultural, spiritual, historical and traditional association of Te Rarawa with the Te Tai Hauauru The history and traditions of Te Rarawa iwi are inextricably bound with Te Tai Hauauru or the western coastal marine area from Hokianga to Hukatere. Te Rarawa along with other Te Hiku o te Ika iwi, entwined by whakapapa and history, have occupied the adjoining lands and survived on the bounty of the takutaimoana (coastal marine area) for centuries. These cultural, spiritual, and historical associations reinforce tribal identity, connections and continuity over many generations and confirm the importance of the coast to Te Rarawa people. Te Rarawa Takutaimoana Te Tai Hauauru for Te Rarawa starts at Te Wahapu o Hokianga and includes the Whangape, and Owhata Harbours, through to Tauroa, and Te Oneroa a Tōhē to Hukatere. Many awa drain in to the harbours and a number flow directly to the coast. These include the Waipapa, Waipuna, Waihōpai, Wairoa, Te Waka, Waiparahoanga, Matihetihe, Taikarawa, Waikare, Ngātuna, Waitaha, Kokopurawaru, Hauturu, Puapua, Waikiore, Orongomai, Taumōtara, Waiatua, Waikeri, Mōkau, Hunahuna, Hukatere, Waitaha, Tanutanu, Omatu, Koutumai, Ōkura, Whakataumai, Harihaia, Pukerua, Paripari, Wairoa, Honuhonu, Waingāwha, Karaka and Waihi. |
He Taonga tuku iho Te Tai Hauauru is of great cultural, physical and historical importance to Te Rarawa hapū. It has always been a source of sustenance and a pathway for the hapū living in all parts of the rohe. It is considered a taonga and is a vast resource with an abundance of fish, seafood, sand, stone, seaweed and other resources. The food gathering practices of Te Rarawa people are determined by astronomical and lunar calendars enhanced by many generations of usage. The food obtained along the coast is a part of the staple diet of Te Rarawa people. Throughout the years Te Rarawa hapū have exercised kaitiakitanga over Te Tai Hauauru and have used rāhui to control its resources. The mauri of the takutaimoana is a life force that binds the physical and the spiritual elements generating and sustaining all life. All elements of the natural environment have a mauri and all are connected. Mauri is a critical element of the relationship of Te Rarawa hapū to Te Tai Hauauru. The mauri of the coastal marine area is fundamentally connected to the water quality and the use of the adjoining lands. |