''Mātaatua'' was one of the
great voyaging canoes by which
Polynesians
Polynesians are an ethnolinguistic group comprising closely related ethnic groups native to Polynesia, which encompasses the islands within the Polynesian Triangle in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Sout ...
migrated to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, according to
Māori tradition. Māori traditions say that the ''Mātaatua'' was initially sent from
Hawaiki
(also rendered as in the Cook Islands, Hawaiki in Māori, in Samoan, in Tahitian, in Hawaiian) is, in Polynesian folklore, the original home of the Polynesians, before dispersal across Polynesia. It also features as the underworld in man ...
to bring supplies of
kūmara
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...
to
Māori settlements in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. The ''Mātaatua'' was captained by Toroa, accompanied by his brother, Puhi; his sister, Muriwai; his son, Ruaihona; and daughter, Wairaka.
Mātaatua Māori include the tribes of
Ngāi Tūhoe,
Ngāti Awa,
Te Whakatōhea,
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui,
Ngāpuhi
Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei.
According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...
,
Ngāi Te Rangi,
Ngāti Pūkenga.
History
The ''Mātaatua'' waka likely arrived in
Aotearoa
''Aotearoa'' () is the Māori name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference only to the North Island, with the whole country being referred to as ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' – where ''Te Ika-a-Māui'' means N ...
more than a century after the ''
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...
'' and ''
Arawa'' waka.
Bay of Plenty settlement
In local Māori tradition, the ''Mātaatua''
waka was the first to land at
Whakatāne
Whakatāne ( , ) is a town located in the Bay of Plenty Region, Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and northeast of Rotorua. The town is situated at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. The Whakatāne Dis ...
, approximately 700 years ago. According to various accounts, at some point, a dispute arose between the commander, Toroa, and Puhi, over
kūmara
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...
planting rituals.
As a result, Puhi left on the ''Mātaatua'' with most of its crew to travel further north, while Toroa, Tāneatua, Muriwai, and their immediate families remained in the Bay of Plenty. Those that stayed behind settled and intermixed with previously established Māori tribes in the region. People from
Ngāi Tūhoe,
Ngāti Awa,
Te Whakatōhea,
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and the Tauranga Moana tribes can trace their origins to this settlement.
Three members of the crew feature in Bay of Plenty genealogies: Toroa, Tāneatua and Muriwai.
These members of the crew and their immediate families integrated with local people who lived in the area, such as Muriwai's daughter Hinekauia who married Tutamure of the Wakanui iwi from
Omarumutu.
Northland settlement
Many accounts say that, from the Bay of Plenty, Puhi traveled northward in the ''Mātaatua'', eventually reaching the
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...
in
Northland. The Ngāpuhi people can trace their origins to this settlement. Tribes in both the Bay of Plenty and Northland agree that the final resting place of the ''Mātaatua'' was at Tākou Bay in the Bay of Islands.
Legacy
Many
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English.
...
can trace their origins to ancestors on the ''Mātaatua'' canoe. Tribes in both the Bay of Plenty and Northland maintain strong ties, and a reunion was held in 1986. A replica of the ''Mātaatua'' rests at the Mataatua Reserve in Whakatāne.
Three wharenui (meeting houses), at
Ruatāhuna
Ruatāhuna is a small town in the remote country of Te Urewera, in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It is 90 kilometres directly west of Gisborne, and 18 kilometres northwest of Lake Waikaremoana. By road, it is 50 kilometres south ...
,
Whakatāne
Whakatāne ( , ) is a town located in the Bay of Plenty Region, Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and northeast of Rotorua. The town is situated at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. The Whakatāne Dis ...
and
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...
, are named after the ''Mātaatua'' canoe.
See also
*
List of Māori waka
This is a list of Māori people, Māori (canoes). The information in this list represents a compilation of different oral traditions from around New Zealand. These accounts give several different uses for the waka: many carried Polynesians, Poly ...
References
*R.D. Craig, ''Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology'' (Greenwood Press: New York) 1989.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mataatua
Māori waka
Māori mythology