Story: Marutūahu tribes

Ureia was the taniwha who lived in Tīkapa (the Firth of Thames). Accounts differ as to the form Ureia took – some say he was a fish, others a school of fish. Either way, Ureia was a powerful symbol of the fertility and mana of the Hauraki region. Ureia was killed at Pūponga, by the Manukau Harbour. This carving of him is located inside the Hotunui meeting house, which once stood at Thames and is now in the Auckland Museum.