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Broo is a beautiful Brydes (pronounced Broo-dus) whale that lives in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.  Broo swims through the harbour trying to find food, but food is getting harder to find each day.

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Auckland War Memorial Museum, Parnell, Auckland

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Auckland War Memorial Museum, Parnell, Auckland

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Auckland War Memorial Museum, Parnell, Auckland

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NZAC Day is a special day of remembrance.  ANZAC Day Parade, written by Glenda Kane and illustrated by Lisa Allen shares a little of one War Veteran's memories of a very hard time, many years ago.

Not all our War Veterans (people who have fought and survived) or "fallen heroes" (those who fought and didn't survive) are old. The RSA - The Royal NZ Returned Services Association - is an organisation that provides support for those who have fought on behalf of NZ and a place where they can gather to talk and share and be with others who have similar experiences.

The ANZAC Day poppy is a symbol of remembrance, but also of hope.

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The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street - Suzy's Book Corner

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School Journal Level 2 November 2019
Learning area: English, Social Sciences
Curriculum level: 2
Reading year level: 4

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Your browser does not support the audio element. by Tim Tipene illustrations by Munro Te Whata "Ngāti Kurī Proud" is a pakiwaitara - a traditional Māori story that explains natural phenomena or why something is the way it is. This pakiwaitara tells how Ngāti Kurī got their name.

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School Journal Level 4 November 2016
Learning area: English, Social Sciences
Curriculum level: 4
Reading year level: 8

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Te Kura Tuatahi: New Zealand's First School

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School Journal Level 3 May 2017
Curriculum level: 3
Reading year level: 5

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Kōpūwai and the Clever Girl / School Journal Level 3 May 2017 / School Journal / Instructional Series / English - ESOL - Literacy Online website - Instructional Series

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Junior Journal 51, Level 2, 2015
Learning area: English, Social Sciences
Curriculum level: 2
Reading year level: 3
Category: Non-fiction

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Kāhu and Hōkioi / Junior Journal 51, Level 2, 2015 / Junior Journal & CHAPTERS / Instructional Series / English - ESOL - Literacy Online website - Instructional Series

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Series: Junior Journal 51, Level 2, 2015

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School Journal Level 2 May 2016
Learning area: English, Social Sciences
Curriculum level: 2
Reading year level: 4

Rereroa the albatross teaches her friend Awarua, the taniwha, how to fly. In the process, Awarua creates some of the geographical features around the Porirua area, such as the flat top of Mana Island, which was caused when she crash-landed on top of the island, and the valley in Whitireia. The story explores the tuakana–teina relationship of an expert teaching a novice

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Your browser does not support the audio element.

by Wiremu Grace

Illustrations by Lee Watt

Rereroa the albatross teaches her friend Awarua, the taniwha, how to fly. In the process, Awarua creates some of the geographical features around the Porirua area, such as the flat top of Mana Island, which was caused when she crash-landed on top of the island, and the valley in Whitireia. The story explores the tuakana-teina relationship of an expert teaching a novice.

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Your browser does not support the audio element. by Wiremu Grace Illustrations by Lee Watt Rereroa the albatross teaches her friend Awarua, the taniwha, how to fly. In the process, Awarua creates some of the geographical features around the Porirua area, such as the flat top of Mana Island, which was caused when she crash-landed on top of the island, and the valley in Whitireia.

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School Journal Level 3, September 2012

Learning area: English

Curriculum level: 3

Reading year level: 6

This exciting, fast-paced myth retells a traditional story from Ngāti Awa. It portrays one chief’s courageous actions to protect his iwi from the taniwha Tarakura. Iratumoana, the chief, displays many qualities: bravery, fortitude, and decisiveness. He also shows wisdom and humility, understanding that he must consult and work with others if he is to prevail over the taniwha. The chief provides a positive role model of someone who puts himself in physical danger for the good of the community.

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by Bernadine Ngaheu

This exciting, fast-paced myth retells a traditional story from Ngāti Awa. It portrays one chief's courageous actions to protect his iwi from the taniwha Tarakura. Iratumoana, the chief, displays many qualities: bravery, fortitude, and decisiveness. He also shows wisdom and humility, understanding that he must consult and work with others if he is to prevail over the taniwha. The chief provides a positive role model of someone who puts himself in physical danger for the good of the community.

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by Bernadine Ngaheu This exciting, fast-paced myth retells a traditional story from Ngāti Awa. It portrays one chief's courageous actions to protect his iwi from the taniwha Tarakura. Iratumoana, the chief, displays many qualities: bravery, fortitude, and decisiveness. He also shows wisdom and humility, understanding that he must consult and work with others if he is to prevail over the taniwha.

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School Journal Level 2 August 2020
Learning area: English, Social Sciences

Curriculum level: 2

Reading year level: 4

Journal Story, Audio and Follow Up Activities

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Your browser does not support the audio element.

by Hone Rata, illustrations by Taupuruariki Whakataka Brightwell

This traditional story, known by many iwi in the Taranaki area, tells how Mount Taranaki was once called Pukeonaki and stood in the centre of the North Island, close to Mount Tongariro. The two mountains fought over Pihanga, a nearby mountain. Tongariro won and Pukeonaki left in anger and grief, travelling to his present position and forming the Whanganui River on the way. The people who came to live in the region later named him Taranaki.

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Your browser does not support the audio element. by Hone Rata, illustrations by Taupuruariki Whakataka Brightwell This traditional story, known by many iwi in the Taranaki area, tells how Mount Taranaki was once called Pukeonaki and stood in the centre of the North Island, close to Mount Tongariro.

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New Zealand's longest bridge -- almost 1.8 kilometres -- spans the Rakaia River. A typical South Island braided river, the Rakaia was once a route for Māori heading to the West Coast in search of prized greenstone. Chinook salmon were released in the river in the early 1900s. New Zealand is the only place in the world where they have become established outside their native habitat.

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At the centre of Taranaki is the dramatic volcanic cone of Mt Taranaki, named Mt Egmont in 1770 by British explorer James Cook. The mountain's lava flows and volcanic debris are the source of Taranaki's rich soils and dairy-farming wealth, and its distinctive snowy cone has featured in advertising, murals, military badges and assorted logos

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During the Northern War of the mid-1840s Ngāpuhi leader Te Ruki Kawiti built a complex defensive pā at Ruapekapeka, with underground shelters protected by fortifications. After a two-week bombardment by British troops, Kawiti and his men abandoned the pā in December 1845. Its remains can still be seen today.

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Ruapekapeka, site of Kawiti's pā - Roadside Stories

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Moeraki Boulders Beach, Moeraki Boulders Road, Hampden

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In Māori tradition the remarkable spherical boulders on Moeraki beach are eel pots -- or baskets of kūmara (sweet potato) washed ashore from the Ārai-te-uru voyaging canoe. To scientists the boulders are concretions, formed around 60 million years ago from sediment and calcite

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Dominating the Hawke’s Bay skyline, Te Mata Peak and the surrounding range resemble a man lying on his back. According to Māori tradition, the peak has its origins in a tale of a giant warrior and a local tribe’s attempt to outwit him.

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Te Mata Peak, Hawke's Bay giant - Roadside Stories

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Legend of Aoraki and the waka atua Āraiteuru

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The Longest Place Name in Aotearoa, New Zealand

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The Longest Place Name in Aotearoa, New Zealand

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Longest place name in New Zealand - Sharon Holt

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The battle of the mountains - The love story that shaped our lands 

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Read in Te Reo, put volume on low and read the embedded subtitles aloud to your class

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The battle of the mountains - The love story that shaped our lands | nzherald.co.nz

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The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour

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Waikato the Wanderer. The Creation story of the Waikato River

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Told in Te Reo Māori. Recommend watching on low volume and teachers read the embedded subtitles aloud for the class.

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Hatupatu Dr Car Park and Scenic Point, Rotorua

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A distinctive rock by the side of State Highway One is significant to Māori for its role in the story of Hatupatu. He was taken prisoner by the fearsome bird-woman Kurangaituku, but managed to escape from her lair. Kurangaituku gave chase, but the rock magically opened to shelter Hatupatu. Some say that the bird-woman's claw marks are still visible on the rock.

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According to the Ngāi Tahu, Rakiura is often translated as “glowing skies”, which refers to the story of early Māori chief Te Rakitāmau.

He left his home to ask a high-ranking Kāti Māmoe chief for the hand in marriage to two of his elder daughters.

The legend says that Te Rakitāmau blushed with embarrassment when he was declined, and the red skies of Rakiura reflect that.

The highest peak on the north of the island is also named for this story – Hananui, or the great blush

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Aoraki, the Maori Legend of a young boy

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Site designed and developed by Journey digital ltd, Auckland, New Zealand (www.journey-digital.com)

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The Hermitage | Aoraki Mt Cook | Our Culture

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Proudly NZ owned, our history spans over 130 years and encompasses Transport, Tourism and Adventure. The Hermitage is NZ’s legacy and the safe keeper of many memories.

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Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua is the setting for the well-known Māori love story of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai, who kept their relationship a secret because of family disapproval. The pair were united on the island after Hinemoa’s epic swim across the lake, guided by the sound of her lover’s flute music.

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Island romance in Lake Rotorua - Roadside Stories

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Ngatoroirangi Mine Bay Maori Rock Carvings Mine Bay, Acacia Bay, Taupō

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There is an unique and iconic Māori rock carving at Mine Bay of Lake Taupō that is a major attraction. This modern rock carving is especially fascinating as it teaches people about the Māori heritage and culture.

The 10 m/ high face was sculpted into the rock in the 1970s by local master carver Mahari Brightwell who named his artwork after Ngatoroirangi, a visionary navigator in Māori culture. The huge rock carving took Mahari over four years to carve. It can only be visited by boat or kayak.

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The story of the Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings in New Zealand

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Manurewa Marae Finlayson Avenue, Clendon Park, Manukau City

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The tale of the two brothers

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Around the name of Matukurua centre the historic memories of two fortified hills at Manurewa which were known as Matuku Tureia, the vigilant bittern and Matuku Tururu, the bittern standing at ease, names which commemorate two chiefs who commanded the forts. Matukutururu was so nicknamed because in time of expected was he had gone eel fishing and fallen asleep, to be captured, with his people by the enemy. Matuku-tureia, by his vigilance, saved his pa and people.

The two pa were collectively known as Nga Matukurua by the Ngai-Huatau branch of the Wai-o-Hua-people. The affairs of Hua-rangi, son of Huatau brought about complications which make the theme of this story. He first married Taka-wai, a chieftainess of the closely related sub-tribe of Ngai-Tahuhu. The marriage complied fully with Maori custom. They had a son Tama-pahure, and other children of promise.

​​On the death of Taka-wai, Hua-rangi, ignoring the claims of many eligible cousins-in-law and sister-in-law, took to wife Kohe, a woman outside the tribal pale, for though of high rank, she belonged to another tribe, the Ngati-Paoa.

This mixed marriage caused great disapproval, so that when Huarangi introduced Kohe into his Wai-o-Hua circle, he was in an ever difficult position. The couple's unhappy domestic affairs were soon brought to a crisis under the following circumstances.

Kohe was now expecting her first-born and craved the preserved pigeon foods of her Ngati-Paoa homeland. When her father heard of her desire, he set aside for her a Rahui kereru or Pigeon preserve, an area still shown on County maps as Te-Hapu-o-Kohe (the child-bearing of Kohe). The presentation of huahua-kereru (preserved pigeons) were placed by Kohe in her food stores, nor did she allot any of them to the relatives and children of the first wife. This act of meanness resulted in much umpleasantness until Hua-rangi took Kohe to live in Matuku-tururu, leaving Tamapuhure and his children by the first wife. That son now assumed chieftainship of Matukutureia in his father's place.

​At Matuku-tururu, Kohe gave birth to her son Tamapahore, and later to other children, the second being a girl, Hine-awhea. When Huarangi died, his children by the two marriages continued to live apart, his sons Tamapahure and Tamapahore being recognised as chiefs of their respective pas.

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Around the name of Matukurua centre the historic memories of two fortified hills at Manurewa which were known as Matuku Tureia, the vigilant bittern and Matuku Tururu, the bittern standing at ease, names which commemorate two chiefs who commanded the forts.

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Waitangi Treaty Grounds Tau Henare Drive, Waitangi

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Topics covered

Frustration over Pākehā behaviour at Kororāreka/Russell

The foundation of the United Tribes of New Zealand and their declaration of independence

Outline of the different European factions - the French, Wakefield and the NZ Company, the British Colonial Office, Missionaries and British humanitarian movements

The signing of the Treaty and problems with translation, including some possible explanations for the mistranslation.

The Wairau Affray.

Hōne Heke, Te Ruki Kawiti and the chopping down of the flagstaff at Russell

The Northern War, including discussions of Māori “trench warfare” and why some Māori chose to fight alongside the British.

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In part four, Māori and Pākehā wrestle with how to share Aotearoa, the New Zealand Company is formed and Te Tiriti o Waitangi is signed. But before long disputes arise, prompting the Wairau Affray and Northern War.
You can LISTEN to the audio only podcast Or WATCH a video version of the show!
Topics covered

Frustration over Pākehā behaviour at Kororāreka/Russell

The foundation of the United Tribes of New Zealand and their declaration of independence

Outline of the different European factions - the French, Wakefield and the NZ Company, the British Colonial Office, Missionaries and British humanitarian movements

The signing of the Treaty and problems with translation, including some possible explanations for the mistranslation.

The Wairau Affray.

Hōne Heke, Te Ruki Kawiti and the chopping down of the flagstaff at Russell

The Northern War, including discussions of Māori "trench warfare" and why some Māori chose to fight alongside the British.

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In Europe, factions debated the future of Aotearoa, while Māori had their own ideas how to handle the growing number of Pākehā here. In the end, Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed, but the early promise leads ultimately to war.

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1955 Opo the Dolphin
The tale of a wild dolphin who fell in love with the town of Opononi

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Waitangi
Wai: waters; tangi: niosy or weeping.
The noise probably refers to the Waitangi-haruru falls on the river.

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Often called the 'Birthplace of our Nation', Waitangi weaves together the strands and stories of many people, events and places to reveal the rich cultural history of Aotearoa New Zealand, offering an inspiring and meaningful experience for every visitor.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds is a place for all New Zealanders and the place where much of New Zealand's history was shaped through the signing of the Declaration of Independence, He Whakaputanga, in 1835 and the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840

Today, Waitangi can be seen as a tūrangawaewae for all those who call New Zealand home - a place where they can stand and feel they belong. The events leading up to the signing of these documents, the actual signing and their ongoing relevance to our nation are fully examined in Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi.

Waitangi; Mr Busby's (detail) by John Kinder (Collection of Waitangi National Trust WNT1962/4/1)

Scene at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi 1840 (detail) by L.C. Mitchell (Collection of Waitangi National Trust WNT1949/18/1)

Sir Āpirana Ngata leading the haka at the opening of Te Whare Rūnanga, 6 February 1940 from the New Zealand Centenary Album (Collection of Waitangi National Trust 1989/166/1)

Early History

The earliest reference to Waitangi in oral tradition comes hundreds of years prior to European arrival. Maikuku, a puhi descended from Rāhiri and the mother of Te Rā, the founding ancestor of the hapū Ngāti Rāhiri was placed in a cave on the Waitangi peninsula; an area now known as Te Ana o Maikuku. For more information on Maikuku and the hapū Ngāti Rāhiri and Ngāti Kawa click here.

Archaeological surveys of the Waitangi National Trust Estate indicate more than 100 sites predominantly along the coast and near Hutia Creek. Many sites are shell middens, but some are identified as wāhi tapu, and there is evidence of a pā on the site of the golf course. Early European accounts indicate Waitangi was not heavily populated, and settlements appeared to be seasonal. There were close kin-affiliated settlements from the Waitangi River inlet to Lake Ōwhareiti, with Ngāti Rāhiri occupying pā at Waitangi, Te Aute, Pakaraka and Pou

The first Europeans to negotiate purchase of land at Waitangi were the Halls, missionaries who purchased 50 acres of land from Waraki of Ngāti Pou in 1815. The Halls, along with two sawyers named Conroy and Campbell, arrived at Waitangi unknowingly becoming entrenched in local political tension. This tension resulted in spates of violence that saw Conroy, Campbell and the Halls leaving Waitangi in 1815 and 1816.

The British
Residency

In 1831, a letter from Te Whakaminenga, the Confederation of United Tribes, was sent from Kororipo Pā in Kerikeri to the British Crown. This letter requested protection for Māori as well as assistance with managing the incoming settlers. The Crown appointed James Busby in 1832, and he was recognised as the first official British Resident of New Zealand.

Busby purchased Hall's deed and made nine separate land transactions with local hapū chiefs, totalling 270 acres. Upon this land was where the British Residency (now the Treaty House) was constructed.

In 1834, Busby asked Te Whakaminenga to Waitangi to choose a flag by which they would be identified. On 20 March of that year, a vote was held and Te Kara o te Whakaminenga o Ngā Hapū o Nu Tireni was chosen.

He Whakaputanga
o te Rangatiratanga
o Niu Tireni 1835

By 1835 a growing desire for international recognition of New Zealand (and its governance) led to a meeting of chiefs at Waitangi. Concerned about the intentions of the growing number of Europeans, the chiefs put their signatures to a document which declared New Zealand a 'whenua rangatira', an independent country. He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni (Declaration of Independence of New Zealand) was acknowledged and supported by the British Government and continued to make its way around New Zealand gathering signatures until 1839.

In June 1835, Frenchman Charles Phillipe de Thierry had made his way to the Pacific where he announced himself the King of Nuku Hiva of the Marquesas Islands. He then notified James Busby of his intention to land in New Zealand to establish himself as the "sovereign chief" of New Zealand ¹.Understandably, James Busby saw de Thierry's intention to claim sovereignty as a direct threat to the British position and authority in New Zealand, and responded with a declaration of his own.

New Zealand's Declaration of Independence, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, of 1835, is the official Declaration of Independence and sovereignty of Māori over the lands formally known as Nu Tireni, but better known as Aotearoa New Zealand. This constitutional document was initially drafted by Busby, who had it translated into Māori by the Reverend Henry Williams of the Church Missionary Society.

He Whakaputanga consists of four articles. Firstly, the Chiefs of the Confederation of the United Tribes of of Nu Tireni declare New Zealand an independent state. Secondly, New Zealand's sovereign powers will reside with the collective chiefs of the land. Next, Māori will hold congressional meetings every autumn in Waitangi, while the final article makes certain a copy of the Declaration is provided for the King of England. Eruera Pare Hongi, a close relative of Hongi Hika, produced a finalised version of the Declaration which was conclusively signed by 34 northern chiefs on the 28th of October.

James Busby assisted in having this Declaration immediately sent to the colonial office in Britain where it was finally received by King William VI who recognises Māori authority by registering the first flag of Nu Tireni - Te Kara². By July 1839, another 18 chiefs from around Aotearoa had put their mark to the parchment.

For Māori, He Whakaputanga was an ascertion of authority over these lands known as Aotearoa New Zealand. Northern Māori in particular consider He Whakaputanga the parent document of Te Tiriti, citing that Māori recognition of ownership had to be acknowledged to enable a resulting Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 to be established ³. For James Busby, some have said the Declaration was a double-edged sword merely acting as a tool to counter French claims of sovereignty, while at the same time, helped foster a closer working relationship with Māori.

The Treaty of Waitangi

In January 1840, William Hobson arrived in the Bay of Islands under orders from the British Government to make a treaty with Māori. James Busby offered to organise a meeting with Te Whakaminega to hear Hobson's proposal.

Hundreds of Māori attended the discussion on 5 February at Waitangi, with rangatira coming from as far as Ngāti Tūwharetoa. The English text of the treaty was drafted by Hobson and amended by Busby before being translated into te reo Māori by Reverend Henry Williams and his son Edward, and presented to the chiefs.

Many rangatira spoke their opinions on the proposed treaty, both for and against the idea of signing. Discussion carried on long into the night and by the morning of 6 February some chiefs were ready to sign.

Copies of Te Tiriti o Waitangi were circulated around parts of the country for signing. In May of that year, Hobson published the Proclamation of Sovereignty, declaring Queen Victoria's 'full Sovereignty of the Islands of New-Zealand'. This was despite the fact Treaty copies were still making their way around the country gathering signatures. At the end of the seven-month journey of the Treaty copies, approximately 540 chiefs had signed. Many did not, but to Hobson and the Colonial Office they considered they had the 'free and intelligent consent' from Māori leaders.

Post Treaty

With differences in wording between the English and te Reo Māori texts relating to sovereignty and possession of lands and other properties, there has been much discontent since the signing. Within five years, the New Zealand Wars had begun with the Battle of Kororāreka. The Wars continued in different parts of the countries for several decades resulting in lost lives, livelihoods, and land.

By 1867 Māori were vastly outnumbered and dispossessed of much of their land. They were granted four seats in parliament and from this small beginning the political strength of Māori grew, both inside and outside the system.

After more than 100 years, the endurance of Māori resulted in the Treaty of Waitangi Act of 1975, an Act of Parliament which now governs and guides all Treaty-related issues and claims in New Zealand. This Act resulted in the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal which has heard and settled claims since 1975 and continues to be an integral part of contemporary Māori's dedication to the struggle and resilience of their ancestors.

Waitangi Day, a day to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, is an acknowledgement of New Zealand's past which provides a platform for all New Zealanders to consider what the Treaty means today. Recent years have seen the Government at Te Whare Rūnanga come together across parties to engage with mana whenua at the place where the Treaty was first signed.

‍ Header image credit:

Ivy Copeland pastel. "Commissioned by Lord Bledisloe in 1930s". Copy of Louis Steele's original. (WNT1999.3.1)

1 Sinclair, Keith (1986). A History of New Zealand (3 rd ed.).Auckland, New Zealand. Pp. 52-53.

² Te Kara - A flag established in 1834 by James Busby, assisted by northen chiefs and Eruera Pare Hongi.

3 Wīhongi (1990). Ngāpuhi Speaks.

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Treaty of Waitangi | History of New Zealand | Learn more

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Are you looking to find out more about the Treaty & its history? The 'Birthplace of the Nation', Waitangi weaves together the rich cultural history of New Zealand.

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Te Rerenga Wairua the tale of two seas meeting

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Māori history and legend

For Māori, Cape Reinga is the most spiritually significant place in New Zealand.

An ancient pohutukawa tree and a lonely lighthouse mark this special place.

It is here that after death, all Māori spirits travel up the coast and over the wind-swept vista to the pohutukawa tree on the headland of Te Rerenga Wairua.

They descend into the underworld (reinga) by sliding down a root into the sea below. The spirits then travel underwater to the Three Kings Islands where they climb out onto Ohaua, the highest point of the islands and bid their last farewell before returning to the land of their ancestors, Hawaiiki-A-Nui.

Everywhere you look in the surrounding landscape of Te Rerenga Wairua, you can find evidence of human settlement, hundreds of years in the making.

The Far North is the nearest in climate to the tropical home of the first Maori settlers. They could garden here with plants like taro, gourds, and yams. Forests, coasts and wetlands were abundant sources of food for hunting and gathering too.

Kupe, known as the great navigator, is said to have discovered the Far North when he thought he was heading towards a whale. In fact, he was travelling towards Mount Camel in Houhora. Kupe's crew, upon landing, settled from Cape Reinga to Parengarenga Harbour.

Many places Kupe named range from Te Ara Wairua (the spirits pathway) to Te Rerenga Wairua. Kupe established Te Rerenga Wairua as the point from which his descendants would travel in spirit form back to Hawaiiki-A-Nui.

European contact

Maori had occupied Northland hundreds of years before Abel Tasman sailed in for water to the Three Kings Islands on the eve of Epiphany 1643. He named the islands after the biblical three wise men. He was the first European to sight North Cape and was responsible for naming Cape Maria van Diemen in honour of the Governor of Batavia's wife.

Captain Cook and the French captain, Jean de Surveille sighted the north coast within a few days of each other in 1769. In 1772, Marion du Fresne anchored his sailing ship in Spirits Bay (Kapowairua) and landed in quest for fresh water.

It was not until the arrival of trading and whaling vessels in the late 18th century that European contact with the area really began to have an impact. Close behind the whalers and traders in the 1830s came the missionaries who sought to convert Maori to Christianity.

The first European landowners in the region were Stannus Jones and a young English lawyer, Samuel Yates, who acquired ownership of a large tract of land in 1873. Yates married a local Maori princess and became farmer, storekeeper and gum trader. He became known as "King of the North" and his homestead as "Paki" from which the name Te Paki derives.

In 1930, the Keene family bought up half of the northern headland (16,000 hectares) and they grazed the hilltops and broke in large tracts of land for farming. In 1966, the entire area of farm was bought by the Crown and today only 2,900 hectares has been kept as farmland. The remaining area has been encouraged to return to its natural state.

Lashed by winds, pounded by surf and sand or soothed by the calm of sunlit days, the whole area of this northern tip of New Zealand has a wild and unpredictable nature.

Around its shores, sweep the currents of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean that meet in a foaming swell of broken water over the Columbia Bank just west of Te Rerenga Wairua.

Cape Reinga lighthouse

The Cape Reinga lighthouse is one of the most important landmarks of Te Paki, and stands on the edge of a steep rocky cape, lashed by the Tasman Sea (to the west) and Pacific Ocean.

Originally, Motuopao Island was chosen as the site best suited for the location of a lighthouse to protect ships passing through the dangerous, turbulent waters at the northern tip of New Zealand.

However, by the beginning of WWII, it was decided that the light was in the wrong location, so in 1941 the glasshouse and light mechanism on top of the lighthouse were removed and re-erected at the new lighthouse settlement at Te Rerenga Wairua. The remains of the original tower can still be seen on the northern end of the offshore island.

First used in May 1941, Te Rerenga Wairua was the last watched lighthouse to be built in New Zealand. Standing at an impressive 10m in height and 165m above sea level, it is one of New Zealand's iconic landmarks.

The Cape Reinga light today is electric, with the last lighthouse keeper being withdrawn in 1987. It is now managed remotely by computer from Wellington.

The 1000-watt light bulb magnified by the lens system throws a signal of warning 49 km out to sea and is often the first light in New Zealand that sailors see.

Further reading

Beaglehole, H. (2006). Lighting the Coast. A History of New Zealand's Coastal Lighthouse System (Canterbury University Press, Christchurch).

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For Māori, Cape Reinga is the most spiritually significant place in New Zealand. An ancient pohutukawa tree and a lonely lighthouse mark this special place. It is here that after death, all Māori spirits travel up the coast and over the wind-swept vista to the pohutukawa tree on the headland of Te Rerenga Wairua.