Story: Papatūānuku – the land

Pirongia mountain is shown in this 1861 watercolour by John Kinder. Mountains have a vital role in the tūrangawaewae (standing place) of different tribes. At the selection of the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, flax ropes were attached to a flagstaff to represent the mountains of the assembled tribes from around New Zealand. For the Waikato tribes, the flax ropes represented Pirongia and Taupiri mountains.