In
Māori tradition, ''Ngātokimatawhaorua'' (or Matawhaorua) was one of the great
ocean-going, voyaging canoes that was used in the migrations that settled
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 ...
.
Matawhaorua was the canoe of
Kupe
Kupe was a legendary Polynesian explorer who, according to Māori oral history, was the first person to discover New Zealand. He is generally held to have been born to a father from Rarotonga and a mother from Raiatea, and probably spoke a ...
, the Polynesian discoverer of the islands now known as New Zealand. On Kupe's return to
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 ...
, it was re-adzed by Kupe and Nukutawhiti and renamed Ngātokimatawhaorua ("ngā toki" translating as "the adzes").
The
rangatira
In Māori culture, () are tribal chiefs, the leaders (often hereditary)
of a (subtribe or clan). Ideally, were people of great practical wisdom who held authority () on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land ( ...
of Ngātokimatawhaorua was Nukutawhiti. Although he predated the iwi
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 ...
, he is the ancestor of the great Ngāpuhi rangatira,
Rāhiri.
A Legend of Ngātokimatawhaorua
The departure of Ngātokimatawhaorua coincided with a nova, during which a star shone so brightly that the nights were almost as bright as day.
Nukutawhiti spoke a
karakia
Karakia are Māori incantations and prayer used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection.[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 ...]
. The Taniwha are called Āraiteuru, Niua, Puhimoanaariki and Rangiuruhinga. The children on the waka hourua likened the strength of each Taniwha to that of 100 great white sharks.
As the waka surged along, the children onboard looked down at the heaving waters below and composed the following
waiata:
''Ngarunui, ngaruroa, ngarupaewhenua''
''Te ngaru i mauria mai ai a Ngātokimatawhaorua''
Great wave, long wave, wave like a mountain range
The wave that brought hither Ngātokimatawhaorua
Upon arrival, the taniwha Āraiteuru and Niua became guardians of the entrance to the Hokianga Harbour, where they continue to appear in many forms — including rocks and waves.
It is said that Ngātokimatawhaorua was taken to a cave, and eventually turned to stone.
Ngā Toki Matawhaorua
Ngā Toki Matawhaorua, a waka built in 1940 at the instigation of
Te Puea Herangi for the centenary of the signing of the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...
, is named after Matawhaorua.
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
Māori waka
Māori mythology
Hokianga
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