For Ngāti Rehua the entire Kōtuku Peninsula (prominent ridgeline, the lower terraces, the adjacent beach areas) is a cultural landscape, embedded with identity, meaning, and significance.
The Kōtuku White Heron is considered a symbol of rarity, beauty, and prestige. It is a tāonga (treasure) representing for the Māori of Aotea their connection to the natural world and their ancestors.
The name of the Kōtuku Peninsula where Glenfern Sanctuary is located reflects the reference for the bird and its symbolic importance to the area. Although white herons are not commonly associated with Aotea their presence in Māori culture underscores the deep respect for native wildlife and the spiritual values attached to birds as kaitiaki (guardians) of the environment.
Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea are the right holders to Aotea, Hauturu, and the Mokohinau Islands. Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea families live throughout Aotea and on its outer islands, from papakainga that surround Motairehe whaanga in the north, Rangiahua and Mahuki in the west, to Rangitawhiri tuturu, Ruahine and Matarehu in the south. Our fires have never stopped burning on Aotea since the time of Rehua.
The descendants of Rangiarua and Waipahihi have an association that derives from Hoturoa and Te Keteanataua and Tuahuriri, our fires have burnt on Aotea for over twenty generations and as descendants of Toi Te Huatahi our fires have continued to burn for over thirty generations. Our fishermen have fished the seas around Aotea, Hauturu, and the Mokohinau Islands for as long as we have lived there as a people. We continue to use the resources of the islands and the seas that surround us to this day.
Ngāti Rehua Ngāti Wai ki Aotea has maintained ahi kā at Hauturu, Aotea, the Mokohinau, and the other islands, islets, and rocks of the outer gulf. Only Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea have maintained unbroken ahi kā since that time.
Kōtuku Point is a sheltering spot during the southwest winds and relies on boat access. It is a good spot for tamure, koura, and haku.
Just south is the island of Huakaraka. In the writings of Whetu McGregor, she makes the observation:
“It takes its name from the fact that its shape was likened to the kernel of a karaka berry. This little island was also an old seasonal kainga of our people. The terraces of the old kainga can still be seen on the eastern side of the island. The island is seen as a wāhi tapu today. It is left alone and has reverted to its natural state, although our families from Akapoua, Port Fitzroy have always gathered a limited amount of pāua and kina from its shoreline. It encompasses an area in Port Fitzroy as it is locally known. The name was given by Hoturoa, captain of the Tainui waka, after their time in Motairehe. Just as you come into Ongungu and on the left (via moana), is an old Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea maara kai; the old stone walls for the cultivations are still visible today. This area is wāhi tapu. There are many resources in this area that Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea has utilised for generations.”
Whetu McGregor expands on the surrounding islands within this locale, stating:
This part of the harbour divides into two parts. They are Rarohara where the wharf is, and Akapoua where the [old] DOC headquarters are located. Standing off this latter bay are two islands over which Ngati Rehua claims mana. The first is the small island of Akapoua which gives the bay its name. Its name has its origin in the fact that it is joined to the land by a reef like the root of a Pohutukawa clinging to the shore.
The second island is Taukokopu, or as it is generally known Graves Island. This little island was an old pa occupied by our people until the arrival of the Pakeha. It is named after Taukokopu the last Ngati Wai Rangatira to occupy it. The island was used as a burial ground by our people into Pakeha times, and our tupuna gave the first pioneer Pakeha families permission to bury their dead on it. It is for this reason that local people call it ‘Graves Island.’
The following principles are considered when considering the cultural context of this area:
Mauri
Mauri is referred to as the essence of existence or life force of the natural world or a particular resource; it has a metaphysical dimension that is inherent in all things and is the bonding element that holds the fabric of the universe together. Mauri is tangibly represented by the physical characteristics of the environment or particular resource, including the indigenous flora and fauna, the fitness for cultural usage and its productive capacity.
Rangatiratanga
Rangatiratanga is the ultimate expression of ‘primary’ authority and reflects directly upon Iwi/Hapū mana through an ongoing ability to exert influence and control over the people, land and resources within a defined tribal area.
Mahinga Kai
Mahinga kai are places where food and other resources are gathered. Mahinga kai were carefully managed in accordance with tikanga Māori to ensure that resources were sustainably harvested for the benefit of future generations. The health and abundance of Mahinga kai was one of the main indicators of marine ecological and cultural health. The link between the health of the kaimoana and the health of the people was very strong given the day-to-day reliance of Iwi members on kaimoana for their staple diet.
Customary Fishing
Customary fishing is a well-established historical and cultural activity for all coastal iwi, especially Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea. The maintenance of customary fishing practises not only relies on the availability of an accessible and healthy resource for the harvesting of fish and shellfish, but also requires an ability to regulate the use of resources in accordance with tikanga Māori. This ensures the sustainable management of the resource for both the benefit of the marine environment and future generations.
‘Rāhui’ or temporary restrictions are generally imposed over areas that are intended to be set aside or restricted from the normal harvesting of food or other resources.
Traditional Practices
The ability to undertake traditional cultural practices in the marine environment, other than fishing and gathering kaimoana, continues to be important to Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea and their whānau. These cultural practices also include waka launching, voyaging, blessings and swimming and other recreational activities.
The ability to undertake these practices provides valuable opportunities to maintain an active relationship with the marine environment. Conversely, the inability to exercise these traditional practices, places the transfer of knowledge about them and associated with them, at risk.
The absence of such relationships is considered to be devastating to whānau who are already at a precarious tipping point in the maintenance of key aspects of their Iwi identity and cultural wellbeing.
The pre-1900 cultural landscape
This area contains a high number of the natural attributes attractive to pre-European Maori and early European for settlement with soils suitable for cultivation, freshwater springs, forest resources and sheltered waterways. The area has largely escaped extensive modification over the past 50 years.
Key features of the Ngāti Rehua historical site are tipu kai (food growing such as kumara), papaaa (terraces where there were huts), rua (pits for storing crops), mahinga kai (places where food and other resources were gathered), koha anga mai i nga kai o mua (shell refuse from past meals), and kainga (home).
The coastline offered plentiful fishing grounds, being a good spot for tamure, koura, and haku.
Glenfern Sanctuary
& Accommodation Map
Niho Taniwha
Chevron skink
Kauri
Iconic Kauri
Pāteke
Brown Teal
Tākoketai
Black Petrel
Ngāti Rehua Historical Site
Kōtuku Peninsula
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You will help threatened native species such as Tākoketai Black Petrel, Pāteke Brown Teal, North Island Kaka, and our Niho Taniwha Chevron Skink, to thrive in a safe environment.
