The Tītoki tree is a beacon of endurance and persistence.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Click here for English translation He wāhanga āpiti kōrero tēnei ki ngā tuhinga kua tūhia kētia i ngā marama ko pahemo ko te wāhanga hahau ki te rongo te roanga atu o tēnei tūhinga he wā i whakakotahi ai a Te Arawa me ngā iwi o Tauranga i roto i te whakaaro o te aroha.
E ai te kōrero ko te take o te whawhai a Te Arawa rāua ko ngā hapū o Waikato, mātua ki a Ngāti Hāua he wāhine. Ka rua ko te patunga o te taokete a Te Waharoa, ko te ingoa o taua toa ko Te Hunga.
Nā tēnei tōwhare i tutū ai te puehu i ēnei iwi e rua mō ngā tau kotahi tekau. Ka hia hoki ngā tangata, me ngā wahine,me ngā tamariki i moumoungia.
I te tau kotahi mano , e waru rau, e wha tekau mā rimu, i te rua tekau mā toru o ngā rā o Māhuru ka rūpeke katoa ngā rangatira nunui o Te Arawa o Waikato me Ngāi Te Rangi me ētehi atu o ngā hapū ki Otumoetai.
Ehara ko ngā tangata Māori anake i tae engari ko ngā pōnonga o te karaipiture me ngā hāhi o te ao hou hoki. Ko Archdeacon Alfred Nesbit Brown rātou ko Rev Thomas Brown, ko Reverend Christopher Pearson Davies. Ko te pūtake o tēnei rūnanga nui ki te hahau ki te rongo.
Ko Otumoetai he pā whakairo nō Ngai Tamarawaho, he pā i kaha nōhia e ngā iwi huhua o Ngāti Ranginui me Ngāi Te Rangi, ā, ko Ngāti Pukenga hoki i ngā rautau. He pa tīhore, he pā tūwatawata, he pā maioro hoki, kāpuia katoatia ēnei kupu kia kotahi mai ko te pā whakairo tēnā.
Ko tōna rahi he kotahi tekau mā tahi eka, inaianei he kōtahi eka noaiho. Ko te nuinga o te whenua i Tauranga i Otumoetai i raupatungia, he mea raupatu nā te Kāwana. Ki te pā nei he wāhi paku noa e tū Māori ana.
Kai te hiku o te pā whakairo tētehi Tītoki he rākau Māori e toru rau te pakeketanga. Ka whakaātāmirangia ngā rangatira e hemo ana ki te karamata o te rākau kia rewa katoa ai ngā kikokiko kātahi ka tanumia ai ngā kōiwi. Whoi anō ki kōnei ki raro i ngā taketake o Tāne ngā rangatira huihui ai .
The titoki in the one acre of land left to iwi after confiscation.
Tata ki te kōtahi wiki ngā rangatira o Te Arawa me Tauranga hahau rongo ai nō te rua tekau mā rua o Māhuru tāti ai ngā whaikōrero me te hākari nui, ka pōngia ai ngā rangatira ka karakia, aonga ake ka karakia katoa te pā ka hākari nui kātahi ka takahia te pōwhatu tapu he mea kawea mai i Maunganui hei māuri.
Nō te rua tekau mā wha ka whati ngā matua, e hoki ana ētehi o ngā pahi ki Rotorua ko etehi e hoki kau atu ki Te Papa. Ko ētehi o ngā rangatira nei ko Hikairo nō Ngāti Rangiwewehi, ko Henare Te Pukuatua, ko Haerehuka ko Tohi Te Ururangi ko Pango nō Ngāti Whakaue ēnei rangatira ko Tupaea nō Ngāi Te Rangi me Taipari anō he rangatira nui nō tēnei taha mai o ngā iwi o Tauranga. Kua matemate noa atu a Te Waharoa.
Ki ngā paiaka o te Tītoki tēnei pōwhatu tapu takoto ai. Kua whai mana ngā whakaaro me ngā hiahia o te ngākau o ngā iwi ki te whakapīrau i te riri kua roa nei i waenganui i ēnei tangata. Ko te oroko timatanga o tēnei riri nō te wā anō i a Raumati me tana tahu i te waka o Te Arawa ki te kāpura.
Kua mutu, kua hauhakengia ngā kūmara kua teitei ngā puku. I roto i ngā tau tokomaha ka riria ngā whenua o Tauranga e te Kāwanatanga o Niu Tīreni, ka whati te tūara o ngā iwi māia o Tauranga moana ka raupatungia o rātou whenua.
Ka māhuetia o rātou whenua ka rupeke ki whenua kē. Ka ngaro noa ngā tau ka tapatapahi te pā whakahirahira onamata, ka whakakīa ngā maioro ki te oneone, ka turakina ngā tūwatawata, ka tanumia ai te Māori kia ara ake ai te ao hou. He ahakoa tēnei āhuatanga ko tētehi whānau katipā e noho mātau nei ki te hītoria o te pā.
Nā i roto i ngā tau e hia kē ka whai whakaaro ai ngā katipā kia ātawhaingia te pōwhatu ka haria ai ki tetehi whare e kaha manaakingia ai te mana o tēnei tatau pounamu.
Kai te whare o Tauranga Heritage Collection ki reira tēnei pōwhatu tapu o tātou takoto ai hei hoa haere mō te pōwhatu e tūtei tonu ana ki runga o Muruika.
Between 1835 and 1845, trouble between the tribes of Tauranga and Ngāti Whakaue of Te Arawa ran rife throughout the Bay of Plenty.
The scale of the fighting would, in time, branch out, drawing in the formidable Ngāti Hāua fighting chief Te Waharoa and the many sections of the Confederation of the Arawa people.
The desecration of a family mausoleum would eventuate in the death of a nephew of Te Waharoa. This action would, in turn, engulf the area with bloodshed and open warfare for near 10 years.
In 1845, on the 23rd of September, a great gathering of chiefs from Te Arawa travelled to meet with the forces of Waikato and the Ngai Te Rangi tribes of the Tauranga region. By this time, the presence of the missionaries was apparent, and in their attempt to quell any energy that may potentially spark another outburst of bloodshed, Archdeacon Alfred Nesbit, Rev Thomas Brown and Rev Christopher Pearson Davies journeyed with the contingent.
A lot of what took place over the following week comes from the diary entries of these men. The purpose of this gathering was to end the warfare.
Otumoetai was once a great stronghold initially occupied by Ngai Tamarawaho. Over the successive decades and due to intermarriage, the waxing and waning of warfare, the ownership of the citadel moved between the Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Rangi and the Ngāti Pukenga tribes.
Otumoetai was a great pā, a testament to Māori engineering. It was strategically placed and at its peak boasted a population of 2000 warriors.
The extent of the pā covered an area of 11 acres. Today 1 acre stands as a reminder of the once brilliant pā that was the pride of the local tribes. In 1864, following the battle of Gate Pā and Te Ranga, Otumoetai was confiscated by the Government.
The lone acre that escaped development contains a remarkable Tītoki tree well over 300 years old. Here, the corpses of people of importance lay in the high branches so that the flesh could fall off the bones. The exposed bones were then collected by the priests and carried off to their final burial ground.
It was below this very Tītoki tree that a meeting of great importance took place. For over one week, Te Arawa and Tauranga Moana chiefs gathered.
The titoki in the one acre of land left to iwi after confiscation.
There were great discussions, long ceremonial talks of the many leaders and victims of the warfare. As night cast itself over the gathered, the missionaries would conclude the occasion with prayers. When the morning sun arose, it was to the sound of missionary sermons and prayers to the new Christ in a solid effort to turn Māori from their warfaring lifestyle.
A unique flat slab from Maungatapu would act as the medium of peace. As the speeches continued, the many chiefs each trampled the stone. They greeted each other with a hongi and moved to the side, allowing the peace process to continue.
Here were the great leaders, including Hikairo of Ngāti Rangiwewehi. They had survived the slaughter of Mokoia in 1823; Henare Te Pukuatua, Tohi Te Ururangi, Haerehuka and Pango were among many Ngāti Whakaue representatives. Tūpaea of Ngai Te Rangi and Taipari were also present.
Each chief made a vow as they trampled the sacred slab that they were, in essence, trampling out the warfare an ancient fire that had its origins in the deed of the distant hero Raumati the chief who destroyed Te Arawa waka by fire.
Eventually, many people dispersed, and the Maunga o te Rongo remained at the base of the Tītoki tree.
As the weeks turned to months and then years, the tension between the tribes of the Bay of Plenty culminated in an outburst of fighting.
Through a brave stand to repel the British Empire and the Colonial Government, the patriots of Tauranga had their lands confiscated. Included in the mass confiscation was Otumoetai, where the pā suffered a more severe consequence.
Due to the needs of the time, the area was flattened and developed.
Save a small one-acre space where the sacred Tītoki tree and the peace stone were still resting.
The new owners of the property were aware of the area's history and endeavoured to preserve what remained of the site. Unfortunately, the slab suffered physical damage; however, the area's owners engaged the Council and local Iwi, and the sacred stone now sits in the Tauranga Heritage Collection.
As for the Tītoki tree, it still stands. It is a beacon of endurance and persistence and a reminder to all that such moments are just as important today as they were so long ago.
