LEWIS WILLIAMS, PHD

These new beginnings were in part imbued with the prophecy of Ngāi Te Rangi’s progenitor,
Rangihouhiri who was to prophesize his own death. This occurred during the battle of
Poporohuamea at the climax of Ngati Rangihouhiris’ bid to secure the Maketū, peninsula. Here,
one of Rangihouhiri’s sons was killed. On bringing his body back to Matata, Rangihouhiri was
heard to utter:
“Haere e tama ite tai Awatea; Maku e whai atu ite tai Ahi Ahi”
“Go my son on the morning tide; I will follow on the evening tide”
The next day Rangihouhiri went into battle and was killed. And so it was that Rangihouhiri was
to prophecies his own death. After this time the Pa occupied by Ngati Rangihouhiri became
known as Whakapou Korero and the iwi of Ngāi Te Rangi, as we know it today was birthed.
War soon came again to the region in the mid 1700s when Ngāi Te Rangi, led a treacherous
counter revenge attack on Ngāti Ranginui who occupied Mauao to the North. This battle was
carefully planned in advance by Kotorerua, Rangihouhiri’s son, with the help of Putangimaru, a
Ngati Raukawa Tohunga from the Waikato. On a stormy night, Kotorerua and a 140 men
arrived outside the palisades of Mauao, announcing they had come bearing a gift for the Ngāti
Ranginui chief Kinonui; 100 baskets of kokowai (red ocre). As Kinonui entertained this party in
the wharenui (meeting house) on the summit, Taapuiti, father of Tukairangi, progenitor of Ngai
Tukairangi hapu (sub tribe) led the bulk of the Ngāi Te Rangi, war fleet up the coast north from
Maketū, to Mauao 20 . In what subsequently became known as the battle of Kokowai, they sacked
and burnt this strongly fortified pa, killing all its inhabitants and driving the remainder of the
Ngāti Ranginui and Waitaha inhabitants away. From this time on, Ngāi Te Rangi, secured its
presence and mana whenua over Mauao and throughout the region 21 .
20 Stokes, E. (1980). A History of the Tauranga County. Dunmore Press, Palmerston North.
21 I have been very brief in my historical account of these happenings. However so significant are these events to
Ngāi Te Rangi, that my people have twice undertaken tribal hikoi within the last twenty years retracing the
footsteps of our ancestors from the time of the Mataatua’s landing at Whakatāne up until the securing of Mauao
and mana whenua over the surrounding rohe following the battle of Kokowai. I believe this will continue to occur
not only because our history is an integral part of who we are, but also for the reason that with the acts of retracing
the footsteps of our Tūpuna , we re-remember the strength that is our inheritance; a strength which is
carried forth in fighting back for the full return of the Mauao and the other taonga.
12