Werewere was a seventeenth-century

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

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 ( ...

'' (chieftain) of

Ngāti Kurapoto 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. ...

and

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North ...

from the region around

Lake Taupō Lake Taupō (also spelled Taupo; or ) is a large crater lake in New Zealand's North Island, located in the caldera of Taupō Volcano. The lake is the namesake of the town of Taupō, which sits on a bay in the lake's northeastern shore. With ...

, New Zealand. Werewere joined the dominant chieftain of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Tamamutu, on an expedition against

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 ...

, but the two men clashed and Tamamutu expelled him from the Taupō region. Werewere settled at Motu-o-rūrū in Heretaunga (western

Hawke's Bay Region Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

), from which Werewere launched a successful raid on Taupō. He died peacefully at Motu-o-rūrū.

Life

Werewere was the son of

Tūwharetoa a Turiroa Tūwharetoa a Turiroa was a Māori ''rangatira'' (chieftain) of Ngāti Kurapoto and Ngāti Tūwharetoa from the region around Lake Taupō, New Zealand. He was involved in multiple conflicts between Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Raukawa, and his de ...

and Hine-te-ao. Through his father, he was a direct descendant of Tuamatua, leader of the Arawa canoe. gives the line of descent as Tuamatua - /nowiki>Rakauri - Ngātoro-i-rangi ">Ngātoro-i-rangi.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Rakauri - Ngātoro-i-rangi">/nowiki>Rakauri - Ngātoro-i-rangi /nowiki> - Tangaroa - Tupai - Ira-whitiki - Kiwi - Ruatea - Ruahei - Rangitaua - Turiroa - Tūwharetoa a Turiroa His mother was killed when he was young during an attack by Ngāti Raukawa forces led by Te Ata-inutai. He had one full sister, Tawhanga-rangi, and a half-brother, Te Urunga.

Conflict with Tamamutu

Werewere joined Tamamutu and Te Rangi-patoto on an expedition to Rotorua against Te Roro-o-te-rangi. On the way to Rotorua, the party encountered two young men called Tiki and Kaui and killed them. These men were relatives of Tamamutu and he had been warned by Werewere, when the expedition set out that he should not kill them. When Werewere found out, he went to Hipa-patua and cut the expeditions canoes free, sending them over the

Huka Falls Huka Falls is a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River, which drains into Lake Taupō in New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () an ...

to destruction. When Tamamutu and Te Rangi-patoto returned to Hipa-patua and found that their canoes had all been destroyed, they were furious and they went by land to attack Werewere's village, Papohatu, on Lake Rotongaio, but were unable to capture it. When they returned to attack Papohatu once more they found that Werewere had abandoned the village for Motu-o-rūrū, located on the Mangaone River near Te Pōhue in

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

Invasion of Taupō

Later, Werewere gathered a war party from Heretaunga (western

), along with his son Te Teko and Te Turuki. They advanced to Rūnanga and split into two parties. One party, led by Werewere and Te Turuki headed south and captured Te Koropupu and then Te Karaka in the Battle of Kari-tuwhenua. They did not capture any chiefs during this battles and they did not encounter Tamamutu, who was on Motutaiko Island. According to Hoeta Te Hata, this meant that he was unaware of Werewere’s attack. According to

John Te Herekiekie Grace John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

, he was hiding from Werewere’s forces. Meanwhile, the other party, led by Te Teko went to northern Taupō and captured

Wharewaka Wharewaka is a suburb of Taupō, New Zealand. It stretches from Rainbow Point to Five Mile Bay on the west side of State Highway 1. Wharewaka lies on a small point of land next to Lake Taupō and 1.6 km northwest of the Taupō Airport ...

in the Battle of Manuka-ka-ruia. In this battle, Te Teko captured two of wives of

Tū-te-tawhā Whare-oneone Tū-te-tawhā Whare-oneone was a 17th-century Māori people, Māori ''rangatira'' (chieftain) of Ngāti Tūwharetoa from the region around Lake Taupō, New Zealand. He arranged a raid in revenge for the murder of his maternal grandfather, Te Ata- ...

, Raukato and Urututu. As a result, Tū-te-tawhā came in a canoe to Wharewaka, landed and asked Te Teko to return his wives; he returned Raukato, but had already given Urututu to one of his men as a wife. In thanks for the return of Raukato, Tū-te-tawhā left a kahu kurī (dog-skin cloak). The whole party returned to the east, crossing the

Mohaka River The Mohaka river is on the North Island of New Zealand in the east central region of Hawke’s Bay. Mohaka is a Māori language, Maori word, roughly translated it means “place for dancing”. The iwi (Māori tribes) associated with the Mohaka R ...

at Te Nguru ford. Overnight, the man who had been given Urututu, told her to gather stones, firewood, and mauku fern. She realised that these supplies were going to be used to cook her. After she was ordered to light the oven, she jumped into the Mohaka River and her body was never found. According to Hoeta Te Hata, she became the chief

taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respecte ...

of Lake Taupo, Horomatangi, Te Ihi, and Ara-tukutuku.

Death

Tamamutu subsequently led an expedition to Hawke's Bay to seek revenge, but when he reached Werewere's fortress at Motu-o-rūrū, he found that Werewere died sometime before. Tamamutu attacked the fortress anyway, captured Werewere's son Te Teko, whom he brought back to Taupō. He also searched for Werewere's corpse, but could not find it. Therefore, when he returned to Taupō, he carved a head out of

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...

, called it 'the Head of Werewere', and made it the marker of his rubbish heap.

Family

Werewere had two sons, Te Teko and Pareawa.

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite book , last1=Grace , first1=John Te Herekiekie, title=Tuwharetoa: The history of the Maori people of the Taupo District, date=1959 , publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed, location=Auckland .Z., isbn=9780589003739 Ngāti Tūwharetoa people 17th-century Māori tribal leaders People from Taupō