| Ngati Tuwharetoa |
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Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau , Tuwharetoa ki Waiariki, Tuwharetoa ki te Tonga (''From Te Awa-o-te-Atua to Tongariro, Tuwharetoa at Kawerau, Tuwharetoa at Waiariki, Tuwharetoa at Tongariro'') Tuwharetoa is an Iwi descended from the eponymous ancestor Ngatoroirangi . The Tuwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua (at Matata ) across the central plateau of Aotearoa New Zealand to the lands around Tongariro mountain and Lake Taupo nuiatia . NGATI TUWHARETOA Tuwharetoa is the sixth largest iwi in Aotearoa with a population of 30,000 (''NZ Census 2001'') comprised of a number of hapu represented by 33 Marae . This collective is bound together by the legacy of Ngatoroirangi as epitomised in the Ariki (Paramount Chief) Ko Tongariro te Maunga Ko Taupo Nui-a-Tia te Moana Ko Tuwharetoa te Iwi Ko te Heuheu te Tangata (Tongariro is the Mountain Taupo Nui-a-Tia is the Lake Tuwharetoa is the Tribe te Heuheu is the Man) TUWHARETOA HISTORY Ngati Tuwharetoa are descendants of the powerful Tohunga and navigator, Ngatoroirangi who piloted the great waka ‘Te Arawa’ from Hawaiki to Aotearoa. On arrival in Aotearoa they made landfall at Te Awa o Te Atua, and Ngatorirangi departed heading inland to Te Takanga i o Apa (Kawerau area), thence to Ruawahia where he encountered the monstrous Tama O Hoi and eventually reaching Taupo district where he climbed Tauhara mountain. From Tauhara Ngatoroirangi made his way to Tongariro with the intention of standing on its summit and thus claiming the district as his own. While climbing the mountain a powerful southerly wind whipped his face, icy gales chiselled the warmth from his body while the frozen volcano cut painfully into his feet eventually bringing him to his knees with cold. As Ngatoroirangi lay dying he called to his sisters Kuiwai and Haungaroa in Hawaikii, to send fire to warm him – '''Kuiwai e! Haungaroa e! Ka riro au i te tonga! Tukuna mai he ahi! Oh Kuiwai! Oh Haungaroa! I am seized by the cold south wind! Send fire to me!''' Heeding his call, they sent fire in the form of two daemons, Te Pupu and Te Hoata. As they travelled underground the flames first erupted at White Island, then Rotorua and Taupo, finally bursting at the feet of Ngatoroirangi, welling up from the large vent in the volcano’s summit, warming the Tohunga and thus allowing him to achieve his goal. On the summit of Tongariro Ngatorirangi gave thanks and established his legacy 'Te Wharetoa o Tumatuaenga' The Warrior House of Tu - the legacy of Tuwharetoa. TUWHARETOA STRUCTURE Ngatoroirangi did not remain at Tongariro instead returning to the coast to live out his life at Motiti Island. His descendents settled at Te Awa o Te Atua inland to Kawerau increasing over the generations until the time of Mawake Taupo 8 Generation descendent of Ngatoroirangi. Mawake Taupo took as wife a woman of the Hapuoneone named Hahuru and there son Manaia would eventually take the name Tuwharetoa. It is the sons of Tuwharetoa who moved from Kawerau across Waiariki and eventually into the district around Taupo and by skill at arms, strategy and might eventually established the rohe of Tuwharetoa settling in three divisions at Kawerau , Waiariki and Tongariro Mai Te Awa o Te Atua ki Tongariro, Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau , Tuwharetoa ki Waiariki, Tuwharetoa ki te Tonga (''From Te Awa-o-te-Atua to Tongariro, Tuwharetoa at Kawerau, Tuwharetoa at Waiariki, Tuwharetoa at Tongariro'') This pepeha (tribal axiom) describes the tribal boundaries of Ngati Tuwharetoa extending from Te Awa o Te Atua (a confluence of rivers at Matata ) south to Tongariro mountain. CURRENT PROFILE 40% of Ngati Tüwharetoa were under the age of 15 EXTERNAL LINKS
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