Kāhu ki Rotorua: Houses carved to commemorate brothers

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PURĀKĀU

Ka moe ano a Rangitihi i tana wahine. Ko Manawakotokoto. Ka whanau a raua tamariki tokotoru. He tamaiti tane katoa.

Ko Rakeiao te matamua, ko te pumanawa o ratau ko Kawatapuarangi, ko te whakapakanga ko Apumoana. Koia wenei ko te tokotoru a Manawakotokoto.

Ka tapa tonutia tenei ingoa ki o ratouna uri katoa.

E hoki ana nga maharatanga ki enei tupuna. He rangatira katoa. Na o ratau mana nui ka whakaturia he whare whakairo hai pumau i te wehi nui taioreore o enei toa. Otia hai whakamaru i o ratau uri.

E whakapae ana matau i whanau enei tamaiti i te pa nui o Rangitihi to ratau matua tane, a, ko Pakotore te ingoa me i kore i konei ki Rangiwhakakapua ranei.

Ka pakeke haeretia enei tangata ka tupu te ihi, ka rere te mana o enei toa. Ka momona hoki ratau i te matotorutanga o te whenua. Ko Rakeiao ki a ia te whenua o Turingonge, kai te putake o Whakapoungakau. Ka riro hoki i a ia i nga whenua mai Te Rotoiti, ahu atu ki Ikataina, ki Tarawera, tae ki Tumunui. Nona katoa enei whenua ururua. Ko Kawatapuarangi he rangatira hoki ia. Ka moe i tana potiki. He tamahine na tona tuakana no Te Ratorua ko Te Rangikawekura. Ka whanau ko Pikiaorangi.

Na Pikiaorangi ka puta ko nga uri tokomaha. Kai te puku o te wheke etehi ka heke iho tenei kawai ki a Hongi, ko te tino kawai kai Waikato, kai te Kingitanga. Tokorua nga tino kanohi e mau tuturu nei i tenei herenga whakapapa o Ngati Pikiao. Ko Kawekura te matamua, a, ko Ngawhakawairanga hoki tetehi. Ko nga ruruhi whakahirahira enei tokorua o Ngati Pikiao. Ko to Kawatapuarangi whenua, timatangia i Te Ohautanga-a-Potakatawhiti, ka rere ki te maunga o Matawhaura ka peka atu ki Rotoehu otia ki a Rotoma, koia tenei e ai ki nga wahakorero o te iwi, ko te tauhu roa o Kawatapuarangi.

Kaore e kaha korerongia ana ana kawenga riri. Me nga korero whakahirahira mna, kaore e kitea. Engari tonu he tupuna nui a Kawatapuaranginana ko Ngati Pikiao me etehi o nga karanga hapu huhua hoki o Te Rotoiti. Hai whakamaumahara i a ia, ka whakairongia e nga uri he whare mona. He whare rangatira, he whare whakairo hoki. No te tau kotahi mano e waru rau , e ono tekau ma ono kai te ahua ono tekau ma waru ka tu tenei whare me etehi ano hoki ki te pa whakairo o Maketu. Ki a ia te whenua nui, ki te tahuhu roa o Maketu. No Te Pokiha Taranui me tana whanau te whare. E ai ki etehi na Wero Taroi tohunga nui o Ngati Katea i whakairo, kai etehi e mea ana, ehara na nga tohunga o Ngati Te Takinga ake i whakairo. Hai aha i ratau. No te matenga o Te Pokiha kai te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau ma tahi, ka whakatahuri te whare hai whare runanga, hai whare huihuinga, hai whare kanikani hoki. Ka tae ki te tau, kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e toru tekau ma ono kua koerongia to tatau koroua, kua pirorehengia. Ka taka ki raro ki te whenua. Ka haria nga poupou, ka haria nga amo, me nga maihi, me ona wahanga katoa ki te Muheama o Rotorua, kai reira inaianei e okioki ana hai aha? Hai whakamiharotanga mo nga uri o te wa. Kia kitea ai nga mahi tohunga onamata hai whakahihitanga mo nga uri o Ngati Pikiao.

Rangitihi and his fourth wife, Manawakotokoto, had three sons: Rakeiao, Kawatapuarngi and according to Ngati Pikiao korero the youngest was Apumoana.

The three and their descendants have come to be referred to as Te Tokotoru a Manawakotokoto. The descendants of Manawakotokoto.

It’s interesting to note that all three ancestors have had whare named after them. However, of the three named, only Rakeiao and Apumoana whare still stand serving as shelters for their people.

It is presumed that these three youths were either born at Pakotore or Rangiwhakakapua. We hear that these three rangatira would become overlords of large tracts of land.

Rakeiao would occupy the areas of Turingonge. However, his land would also take in from the south of Te Rotoiti, pushing back through regions of Ikataina and Tarawera and out towards the land blocks of Tumunui.

Kawatapuarangi once occupied an area not far from his brother Rakeiao in Puakoitoito.

He had also married his niece, the daughter of his older brother, Ratorua. Her name was Te Rangikawekura; their eldest son was named Pikiaorangi.

Through this chief, the Ngati Pikiao had a strong relationship with the tribes of the north but more with the Kingitanga of Waikato, where today, two extremely important kuia maintain this relationship.

They are kui Rangikawekura and kui Ngawhakawairangi.

In later years this rangatira Kawatapuarangi would become the overlord of a great expanse of land. It extended from Te Ohautanga-a-Potakatawhitinui east towards Matawhaura, encompassing lakes Rotoehu and Rotoma.

This stretch today has been affectionately termed Te Tauhu o Kawatapuarangi.

The backbone of the chief Kawatapuarangi.

We do not hear of this chief engaging in any battles, and any marvellous deeds committed by this ancestor have been lost to time. However, he was an ancestor of reputation, and it is from Kawatapuarangi that the tribes of Ngati Pikiao and others descend.

To commemorate this rangatira, ornately carved and highly decorated houses were erected . The latest whare whakairo was built around 1866 or 1868 and, with another whare, took pride of place standing upon the lands overlooking Maketu.

The Ngati Pikiao carved the whare. However, some also say that the Ngati Tarawhai tohunga whakairo rakau Wero Taroi also had a hand in its development. The carved whare was under the stewardship of the Ngati Pikiao rangatira, Te Pokiha Taranui and remained in his care until his passing in 1901.

Following his death, the whare served as a place for hui before taking on other iwi responsibilities. However, time caught up with the whare, and sadly in 1936, the old whare fell into disrepair.

The ancient carvings now sit with the local museum stored off-site in a safe, controlled environment for descendants to again marvel over the cunning of the wood experts.