Story: Ngāti Toarangatira

Roadside Stories: Mōkau, whitebait capital

The Mōkau River is famed as a source of whitebait – the juvenile forms of native freshwater fish, often made into delicious fritters. In the 1830s it was the site of a trick by the migrating Ngāti Toa tribe, who lit many fires and dressed their women as chiefs to make their party appear larger and scare off pursuers.

Listen to a Roadside Story about Mōkau. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.

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Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number CDR931).

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How to cite this page:

Mīria Pōmare, 'Ngāti Toarangatira - Migration from the north', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/35261/roadside-stories-mokau-whitebait-capital (accessed 21 April 2024)

Story by Mīria Pōmare, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Mar 2017