Rakataura

{{short description|Tohunga of the Tainui canoe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2022}}

'''Rakataura''', also known as '''Hape'''<ref name="Gazetteer">{{Cite web |url=https://gazetteer.linz.govt.nz/place/54915|title=Karangahape Peninsula |website=New Zealand Gazetteer |publisher=Land Information New Zealand|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> or '''Rakatāura''', is a legendary [[Polynesian people|Polynesian]] navigator and a progenitor of many [[Māori people|Māori]] [[iwi]]. Born in [[Hawaiki]], Rakataura was the senior [[tohunga]] (priest/navigator) who led the [[Tainui (canoe)|''Tainui'']] [[Māori migration canoes|migratory canoe]] to New Zealand. Rakataura is associated with stories involving the [[Manukau Harbour]], the [[Portages of New Zealand#Te Tō Waka|Te Tō Waka]] (the Ōtāhuhu Portage) and the [[Waikato]]. Many place names in [[Auckland region|Tāmaki Makaurau]] (modern-day [[Auckland]]) and the Waikato region reference Rakataura, or are described in oral traditions as being named by Rakataura.

==Oral history==

Rakataura was born in Hawaiki, and was the eldest member of the senior line of his [[hapū]].<ref name="MakaurauMarae">{{Cite web | title = The History of Our Marae |url=https://makauraumarae.co.nz/about/our-history/ |first=Maurice |last=Wilson | publisher = Makaurau Marae | access-date = 1 September 2021}}</ref> He received the name Hape, due to his [[Pigeon toe|inward-turning feet]].<ref name="MakaurauMarae"/> Rakataura was the senior tohunga (priest/navigator) of the [[Tainui (canoe)|''Tainui'']] migratory waka, and in some traditions, is identified as the shipbuilder of the vessel.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Pei Te Hurinui |last2=Biggs |first2=Bruce |title=Ngā iwi o Tainui : nga koorero tuku iho a nga tuupuna = The traditional history of the Tainui people |date=2004 |publisher=Auckland University Press |location=Auckland [N.Z.] |isbn=1869403312 |pages=16–19}}</ref>

In [[Waiohua]] oral tradition, Rakataura / Hape travels supernaturally to New Zealand, ahead of the ''Tainui'' crew. In this version, Rakataura was chosen to represent his hapū on the ''Tainui'' canoe, however this was not popular due to his disability, and only the young and those with sound bodies and minds could travel. Rakataura prayed to [[Tangaroa]] for his feet to be restored, however instead of healing his body, Tangaroa sent Kawea Kawea Ki te Whenua a Kupe, a [[taniwha]] (supernatural being) in the shape of a stingray to transport him. Rakataura arrived at the [[Manukau Harbour]], waiting at [[Ihumātao]] for the ''Tainui'' crew to arrive. Days later, the crew arrived, not from the mouth of the harbour, instead from the east (having crossed the [[Portages of New Zealand#Te Tō Waka|Te Tō Waka]] at Ōtāhuhu over the [[Auckland isthmus]]). Rakataura called out from the hill, hence the name [[Karangahape Peninsula|Karangahape]] ("The Call of Hape").<ref name="MakaurauMarae"/> Another supernatural tradition involves Rakataura beating the ''Tainui'' crew to reach the [[Kawhia Harbour]] by leaping underground between the [[Māhia Peninsula]] and Kawhia.<ref name="Taonui"/>

In [[Te Kawerau ā Maki]] oral tradition, Rakataura travelled to the [[Waitākere Ranges]], bestowing names to the locations he visited.<ref name="Murdoch1992">{{Cite book| editor-first=James| editor-last=Northcote-Bade |title=West Auckland Remembers, Volume 2 |year=1992 |publisher=West Auckland Historical Society |isbn=0-473-01587-0 |chapter=Wai Karekare - 'The Bay of the Boisterous Seas' |first1=Graeme |last1=Murdoch |pages=15–16}}</ref> Some of these names include Hikurangi, the name he gave to a location near [[Piha]] which referenced a location in his homeland and became one of the traditional names for [[West Auckland, New Zealand|West Auckland]] and the Waitākere Ranges,<ref name="Murdoch1992"/> and One Rangatira, the traditional name for [[Muriwai]] Beach, a name which commemorated his visit.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gazetteer.linz.govt.nz/place/32036 |title=Muriwai Beach |website=New Zealand Gazetteer |publisher=Land Information New Zealand|access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref>

Other traditions link Rakataura to the Ōtāhuhu Portage between the [[Tāmaki River]] and the [[Manukau Harbour]]. In some traditions, he is the tohunga who creates the portage,<ref name="NWOHighCourt">{{cite web |url=https://ngatiwhatuaorakei.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/High-Court-Trial-transcripts.pdf |title=In the High Court of New Zealand: Auckland Registry CIV-2015-404-002033 Between Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust and Attorney-General and Marutūāhu Rōpū Limited Partnership |author=[[High Court of New Zealand]] |date=9 February 2021 |via=[[Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei]] |accessdate=1 March 2022 |archive-date=15 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215161901/https://ngatiwhatuaorakei.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/High-Court-Trial-transcripts.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> while in others he attempts to block the ''Tainui'' crew from using it and settling to the west. In these traditions, Rakataura quarrels with [[Hoturoa]], captain of the ''Tainui'', because he refused to let Rakataura marry his daughter [[Kahupeka|Kahukeke]]. Instead of crossing the portage, Hoturoa and the crew of the ''Tainui'' sail around the entire [[Northland Peninsula]] to the [[Manukau Harbour]]. Rakataura and his sister Hiaroa lit fires and sung incantations to prevent the main ''Tainui'' crew from settling around the harbour or the [[Waikato]] area.<ref name="Jones">{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Pei Te Hurinui |last2=Biggs |first2=Bruce |title=Ngā iwi o Tainui : nga koorero tuku iho a nga tuupuna = The traditional history of the Tainui people |date=2004 |publisher=Auckland University Press |location=Auckland [N.Z.] |isbn=1869403312 |pages=44–49}}</ref><ref name="Cowan">{{Cite book|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Pom01Lege-t1-body-d8-d2.html|title=Legends of the Maori (Volume 1)|chapter=The Travels of Rakataura. — The Mauri of the Forests|first1=Māui|last1=Pōmare|first2=James|last2=Cowan|year=1930|via=New Zealand Electronic Text Collection|access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> Rakataura travelled south to the Whāingaroa Harbour ([[Raglan, New Zealand|Raglan Harbour]]), establishing a ''tūāhupapa'' (sacred altar) on the mountain [[Karioi]], and continued to sing incantations to dissuade the ''Tainui'' crew from discovering the areas he found.<ref name="OralTainui">{{cite web |url=https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/WT/wt_DOC_42317979/Wai%20898,%20A099.pdf |first1=Sean |last1=Ellison |first2=Angeline |last2=Greensill |first3=Michael (Malibu) |last3=Hamilton |first4=Marleina |last4=Te Kanawa |first5=James |last5=Rickard |title=Oral and Traditional Historical Report |publisher=[[Ministry of Justice (New Zealand)|Ministry of Justice]] |date=August 2012 |accessdate=17 March 2022}}</ref> Rakataura travelled further south to the [[Kawhia Harbour]], where he met the ''Tainui'' crew, reconciled (either here or further south at Whareorino),<ref name="Jones"/> and married Kahukeke (the daughter of Hoturoa), later returning to settle at Karioi.<ref name="OralTainui"/>

Rakataura is credited with exploring the forested interior of the Waikato region with his wife, naming places after the members of the ''Tainui'' crew, to establish land rights.<ref name="Cowan"/><ref name="OralTainui"/> He placed [[Mauri (life force)|mauri]] stones from Hawaiki along the journey, as a way to entice birds to the areas he visited.<ref name="PestManagement">{{cite web |url=https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/assets/WRC/Council/Policy-and-Plans/RPS-Regional-Policy-Statement/RPSv2018-Appendices.pdf |title=Waikato Regional Pest Management Plan 2017/18: Appendix 1: Statutory Acknowledgements |publisher=[[Waikato Regional Council]] |year=2017 |accessdate=17 March 2022}}</ref> During their travels, Kahukeke fell ill at Wharepūhunga, where Rakataura built a house for her to rest in and recover.<ref name="PestManagement"/> Kahukeke fell ill a second time at [[Pureora Forest Park|Pureora]], however did not survive.<ref name="PestManagement"/> After she dies, Rakataura names [[Kakepuku]] after the shape of his wife when she was pregnant, and the area where he eventually settled, [[Te Aroha]], after the love he felt for his wife.<ref name="Cowan"/><ref name="RangunuiWalker"/> There, he married again, to a woman named Hinemarino.<ref name="Taonui">{{cite web|last1=Taonui|first1=Rāwiri |title=Ngā waewae tapu – Māori exploration |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/nga-waewae-tapu-maori-exploration/page-4 |website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]]|date=24 September 2007 |accessdate=17 March 2022}}</ref>

Some traditions describe Rakataura as settling at [[Mount Smart|Rarotonga / Mount Smart]] in Tāmaki Makaurau with his wife, before travelling to the Waikato later in life.<ref name="RangunuiWalker">{{Cite book| title=Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou – Struggle Without End |year=2004 |publisher=[[Penguin Books (NZ)|Penguin Books]] |first1=Ranginui |last1=Walker |author-link1=Ranginui Walker |isbn=9780143019459 |location=Auckland, New Zealand |edition=Second |chapter=Nga Korero o Nehera |pages=46}}</ref>

== Legacy ==

Rakataura / Hape is the namesake of [[Karangahape Peninsula]] and [[Karangahape Road]] in Auckland,<ref name="Gazetteer"/> and some of the [[Māori language]] names for [[Ōwairaka / Mount Albert]], Te [[ahi kā|Ahi-kā]]-a-Rakataura ("The Continuous Fires of Rakataura")<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maunga.nz/maunga/owairaka-te-ahi-ka-a-rakataura/ |title=Ōwairaka / Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura MOUNT ALBERT |publisher=Tūpuna Maunga Authority|access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> and Te Wai o Raka ("The Waters of Raka").<ref name="NWOHighCourt"/> Te Motu a Hiaroa ([[Puketutu Island]]), one of the first permanent settlements of the [[Tainui]] people, is named after Rakataura's sister Hiaroa.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/112351994/focus-landscape-of-quarried-volcanic-island-in-manukau-harbour-being-restored-with-treated-human-waste |title=Volcanic island's cones to be rebuilt with millions of tonnes of human waste |first=Kendall |last=Hutt |date=5 May 2019 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |accessdate=17 March 2022}}</ref> Rakataura is cited in oral traditions as the figure who named many areas of the Waikato, including the [[Raglan, New Zealand|Whāingaroa Harbour]]), [[Karioi]], [[Maungatautari]], [[Whakamaru]], [[Pureora Forest Park|Pureora]] and [[Te Aroha]].<ref name="OralTainui"/><ref name="PestManagement"/>

The officially designated name for [[Mount Maunganui]] in the early 20th century was Rakataura, named after the tohunga by [[Bay of Plenty]] settler J. C. Adams, however this name never came into popular use.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rorke|first=Jinty|title=Western Bay of Plenty Street Names|url=http://econtent.tauranga.govt.nz/data/libraries/files/local_hist/western_bay_street_names.pdf|publisher=Tauranga City Libraries|access-date=2 November 2012|page=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203011732/http://econtent.tauranga.govt.nz/data/libraries/files/local_hist/western_bay_street_names.pdf|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rakataura is considered one of the ancestors of [[Tainui]] (including [[Ngāti Maniapoto]] and [[Ngāti Raukawa]]),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Pei Te Hurinui |last2=Biggs |first2=Bruce |title=Ngā iwi o Tainui : nga koorero tuku iho a nga tuupuna = The traditional history of the Tainui people |date=2004 |publisher=Auckland University Press |location=Auckland [N.Z.] |isbn=1869403312 |pages=58–59}}</ref><ref name="PestManagement"/> historical Auckland iwi [[Ngā Oho]],<ref name="AucklandCouncilTeTatua">{{Cite web| date=2015 | title = Te Tātua a Riukiuta Three Kings Heritage Study |url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/local-boards/all-local-boards/puketapapa-local-board/docsheritagestudies/three-kings-heritage-study.pdf |first1=Dr Elizabeth |last1=Pishief |first2=John |last2=Adam | publisher = [[Auckland Council]]| access-date = 28 June 2021}}</ref> [[Te Kawerau ā Maki]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/UnitaryPlanDocuments/pc25-appendix-7-1-kawerau-a-maki-cia.pdf |title=Cultural Impact Assessment for Warkworth North Structure Plan|first=Robin |last=Taua-Gordon |publisher=Te Kawerau a Maki Settlement Trust and Tribal Authority|via=[[Auckland Council]]|date=July 2017|access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> and [[Waiohua]] tribes.<ref name="MakaurauMarae"/>

==See also== * [[Tainui (canoe)|''Tainui'' (canoe)]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rakataura}} [[Category:Legendary Polynesian people]] [[Category:Legendary progenitors]] [[Category:New Zealand people with disabilities]] [[Category:Tohunga]] [[Category:Tainui people]] [[Category:Te Kawerau ā Maki people]] [[Category:Te Waiohua people]] [[Category:Year of birth uncertain]] [[Category:Year of death uncertain]]