Nga Poutiriao o Mauao chairman Dean Flavell. Photo / George Novak
Nga Poutiriao o Mauao chairman Dean Flavell. Photo / George Novak
There have been calls for Tauranga's ancestral mountain, Mauao, to have an annual "rest" day to acknowledge the legend and educate the community.
The mountain has been significant to Tauranga Moana since the arrival of their first voyaging ancestors, and for the three iwi of Tauranga and the iwi Waitaha,Mauao is the symbol that ties them to here.
Mauao. Photo / Tauranga Heritage Collection
The mountain is managed jointly by the council and the trust through a board called Ngā Poutiriao o Mauao. The board was made up of four tangata whenua representatives and four councillors.
Though the Mauao Historic Reserve is private land owned by the Mauao Trust, it remains a free, public space ratepayers maintain through the council's general fund.
Ngā Poutiriao o Mauao chairman Dean Flavell said there should be a day, perhaps during Matariki, where the maunga can be peaceful when for a day and night no one was allowed on the mountain. Thousands are drawn to the summit each week. Last year, there were nearly 800,000 visits to the summit of the mountain and more than half a million to the base track, a Tauranga City Council spokeswoman said.
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The average daily visits to the top were more than 2000, with 500 fewer daily trips around the base.
Access to the summit was important for many reasons to many people, he said, ranging from self-satisfaction to learning traditional skills and knowledge, important to the wairua or wellbeing of people.
"In the same manner, Mauao needs its time to rest."
For this to come to fruition would be a directive from the Mauao Trust as the owners of the joint administration board, working together with the Tauranga City Council and other interested groups.
Mauao (Mount Maunganui) earlier this year. Photo / File
This would also work as an opportunity to teach the public about the history and acknowledge those who volunteered their time.
It would re-enact the legend of the mountain, allowing it to rest and awaken brand new, ready to take on another year of nearly 1m visitors.
Ngā korero tupuna mō Mauao (the legend of Mauao) showed the mountain was originally nameless with a broken heart, wanting to end his misery. He was dragged towards the sea to end his suffering.
But those helping pull him towards the sea were creatures of the night and stopped by the light of day, leaving the mountain at the entrance of the harbour, naming him Mauao.
Ngai Te Rangi Settlement Trust chief executive Paora Stanley said he would be happy for no access to the summit.
Ngai Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley. Photo / File
He said when thinking of the mountain in the context of being a living being, it made sense.
Rather than looking at the mountain as a conquest, he questioned whether it could be something of beauty to admire.
The council's Community Services general manager Gareth Wallis said they would look to Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao to initiate any decisions and would support a temporary closure on the trust's behalf.
"This year the maunga was considered to have rested sufficiently during lockdown when the site was closed for an extended period of time."
Legend:
The Māori legend of Mauao explains its name, which means "caught by the morning light".
Mauao was once a nameless mountain, slave to the great chief mountain Otänewainuku. He fell desperately in love with the beautiful hill, Puwhenua.
But her heart was already won by the majestic Otänewainuku.
In despair, he decided to end his pain by drowning himself in the ocean, Te Moananui a Kiwa, calling on the patupaiarehe, fairy-like creatures of the night, to help.
They plaited ropes and hauled him towards the ocean.
Chanting as they went, they gouged out the valley where the river Waimapu now flows, following the channel of Tauranga Moana past Hairini, Maungatapu, Matapihi, and Te Papa.
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But as they neared the sea, the sun rose and the creatures fled to the dark. They named him Mauao - caught by the dawn.
Brief history:
For the three iwi of Tauranga and the iwi Waitaha, Mauao is the symbol that ties them to Tauranga Moana.
The archaeological landscape within the Mauao Historic Reserve represents the physical remains of about 600 years of human occupation.
Takitimu was the only waka to settle the district, and when they arrived, Ngāti Ranginui ancestors completed the rituals of tukua mauri.
In 1865, the Crown confiscated Mauao, leading to European settlement.
In 2008, New Zealand's Parliament adopted legislation allowing for ownership transfer of Mount Maunganui from the Crown to the Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngati Ranginui and Ngati Pukenga iwi.
Title of the Mauao Historic Reserve in 2012 was officially passed from the Crown to iwi of Tauranga Moana and to Waitaha of Te Arawa iwi.
Māori representatives said at the time that the decision to hand over Mauao ended a more than century-old grievance.
