Tākitimu, Riukākara, Waipapa, Ruakaramea
Muriwhenua people have a tradition that the Tākitimu canoe, captained by Tamatea, landed at Te Awanui, near Kaitāia. Stories from the Kaipara region say that Tākitimu also landed there, and a number of streams are named after crew members including Tamatea, Kahukuranui and Ruawharo. Riukākara, which was captained by Pāoa, landed at Mangonui, as did Ruakaramea, captained by Moehuri and his son Tukiato. Waipapa was captained by Kaiwhetu and Wairere, and landed on the Karikari Peninsula.
Tūnui-ā-rangi, Moekākara, Te Wakatūwhenua
Tūnui-ā-rangi is credited with bringing the Ngāi Tāhuhu people to New Zealand, and is said to have first landed at Motu Kōkako (Hole in the Rock) in the Bay of Islands. From there it went south along the coast to Ngunguru and then to Whangārei. Ngāi Tāhuhu are said to have spread out and inhabited all the land from Tāmaki (Auckland) to Cape Brett.
There are two stories about Moekākara. One is that it landed at Kawau Island near Mahurangi, bringing the ancestors of Te Kawerau to the district. Another is that the captain was Manaia and that it landed beneath Rākaumangamanga, near Motu Kōkako; in this way Ngāti Manaia came to occupy the lands between Cape Brett and Whangārei. A third account says that Manaia was the captain of Ruakaramea.
Te Wakatūwhenua is a canoe said to have landed at Cape Rodney (Te Wakatūwhenua), its crew suffering a mysterious illness; this is sometimes thought to have been leprosy.
Te Tō Waka – the canoe portage
A little over 200 metres of land separates the waters of the Tāmaki River and Manukau Harbour at Te Tō Waka in Auckland. This was the most important canoe portage in pre-European times, as Manukau Harbour gave canoes access to the west coast. Canoes could sail to Waiuku where, after crossing another portage, they could enter the Waikato River and access the interior of New Zealand. Canoes crossing in the opposite direction could paddle down the Tāmaki River to the Waitematā, and then coast north toward Whangārei or east towards the Coromandel Peninsula. Another option was to paddle to Riverhead on the Waitematā, then use another portage to access Kaipara Harbour. From here they could travel along the northern Wairoa River to the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands or Whangārei. The Matawhaourua, or Matahourua, of Kupe, the Aotea, Tainui, Mataatua and Tokomaru are all said to have been hauled across Te Tō Waka.
