LOCAL LEGENDS of KAWERAU
Romantic Putauaki
Long ago when the world was young, two mountains grew up near the Kawerau area. One was Putauaki, the other was Ruawahia who found Putauaki attractive and often sighed. The two fell in love and spent their days together in happiness. Putauaki and Ruawahia had a son called Whatiura and this made their union complete.
Time passed and the three lived in happiness. Slowly however, the two lovers became more distant. Other mountains surrounded the rohe, some distant, some further away. Ruawahia would gaze at Tongariro. Putauaki noticed that Ruawahia was losing interest in him. She constantly complained and her moods changed. Putauaki was annoyed and decided to leave.
Meanwhile, Whakaari showed an interest in Putauaki and would often gaze in his direction. Putauaki realising that Whakaari was interested in him wondered how he could make the journey to the sea. Ruawahia realised that Putauaki was interested in Whakaari and became angry.
In those times, it was possible for mountains to move, providing the move was done during the night. One night as Ruawahia slept, Putauaki set off for the coast. He moved slowly, so Ruawahia would not wake. Unbeknown to Putauaki, Whatiura was following. Whatiura made a noise and his father realised that his son was behind.
Putauaki tried to persuade Whatiura to return to Ruawahia. Unfortunately, Whatiura did not return. At daybreak, Putauaki realised he was in Kawerau. Ruawahia noticed that Putauaki had left her side. Ruawahia roared, shook and burst into tears. The tears filled the hole left by Putauaki, and today it is called Lake Tarawera.
The union between Putauaki and Whakaari was never to be. Ruawahia never recovered. That is the reason why the lake fills and flows down the Tarawera valley. Whakaari sends smoke signals, calling Putauaki to join her.
This tribal legend is often told to school children in the Ngati Tuwharetoa area. It is part of the collective tribal knowledge of Ngati Tuwharetoa, and cements the people to their mountains.
Where did the name Kawerau come from
Kawerau was an ancestor of the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribe of this area, a grandson of the great Toi-Kai Rakau, a famous chief who lived in the Bay of Plenty before the 1350AD Maori fleet arrived.
Toi gave his grandson the name Kawerau, meaning “carrier of leaves". He chose this name because, in those days, the people used to live on berries, fern roots and tawhara. Tawhara is the fruit of the kiekie plant, which grows on many of our large native trees – it looks like a small light – green flax bush. Nowadays, tawhara is often called “bush banana" and, unfortunately for us, the opossums get this fruit, so that most of us don’t have the chance to see or taste it.
At a certain time of the year, the people used to gather this fruit, together with the leaves surrounding it and let it ripen in their storehouses, so Kawerau got his name from the gathering and carrying of leaves at harvest time.
Sometimes you will read of “te Tini O Kawerau". This means “the many tribes of Kawerau".
Today “Kawerau" means the District surrounding the town.
Te Wai U o Tuwharetoa (Life giving waters of Tuwharetoa)
A very young Manaia (Tuwharetoa) was once left in the care of his grandparents Waitaha Ariki Kore and Hine Te Ariki at Waitahanui Pa, while his parents Hahuru and Mawake Taupo were visiting relatives in the surrounding areas Putauaki, Tuhepo, Otamarakau, and Omataroa. They were away for quite some time, Manaia started crying for nourishment. Hine Te Ariki instructed Waitaha Ariki Kore to fetch some water from a certain area to feed the child. She had an intimate knowledge of the area that she had used as her playground
He went into the upper reaches of the gully, to a rocky outcrop and struck the rock with his taiaha to produce beautiful clear spring water. He filled his calabash (hue) and took the water back to Hine Te Ariki who in turn, fed it to young Manaia. The baby’s crying stopped. That spring is known as “Te Wai U o Tuwharetoa" (The life giving water of Tuwharetoa) as it has the same temperature and was likened to his mother’s breast milk.
This spring exists today and is stilled used by Ngati Tuwharetoa.
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