He ingoa whakahuihui a Muriwhenua mō ngā iwi e ono: a Ngāti Kurī rātou ko Ngāi Takoto, ko Te Pātū, ko Ngāti Kahu, ko Te Aupōuri, ko Te Rarawa.
Te Hiku-o-te-Ika
E noho ana ngā iwi o Muriwhenua ki ngā whenua e totoro atu i te paeroa o Mangamuka ki te raki ki Te Rēinga. Kei ngā kōrero paki e mea ana koinei te hiku o te ika i hīia e Māui i te hōhonutanga o te moana. Ka kōrero ana ngā kaumātua o Muriwhenua, ahakoa kei Te Whanganui-a-Tara te ūpoko o te ika a Māui, haere noa ai te ūpoko ki ngā wāhi tērā ka whakaaetia e te hiku!
Te hurainatanga a Kupe
E kī ana a Ngāti Kurī nā te kaiurungi nui nā Kupe te whenua i hura. I pōhēhē ia i kite a ia i tētahi tohorā, engari ko te maunga o Houhora kē. Noho rawa ai te iwi o Kupe ki ngā whenua atu i Te Rēinga ki te whanga o Pārengarenga. Nā Kupe te whenua i taunaha atu i Te Ara Wairua ki Te Rēinga.
Kei roto i ngā kōrero tuku iho a Ngāti Kahu, i nohonoho a Kupe ki te kūrae o Karikari, te onepū o Tokerau, te whanga o Whangaroa me te whanga o Matauri hoki. E kōrerohia ana nā Te Aukānapanapa a Kupe i ārahi ki uta ki te take o te maunga o Whakarārā kei te whanga o Matauri. E whakaae tahi ana a Te Aupōuri me Te Rarawa, i tau a Kupe ki Hokianga ā, i tana hokinga ki Hawaiki ka whakaarahia e ia ngā tai āki kia tukia te tai hauāuru o Te Tai Tokerau, o te Oneroa-a-Tōhē.
Tūmatahina
I te wā e whakapaeangatia ana te pā o Muriwhenua e pau haere ana ngā kai o te iwi. Nō konei ka tohu a Tūmatahina ki te iwi kia hangaia ngā whakapakoko tangata ki te raupō, ka whakatūtūhia ki ngā tūwatawata o te pā. I muri mai ka whiria e rātou te harakeke hei taura, ka herea ki tētahi toka kei uta. Nō te otinga o ngā mahi ka tono a Tūmatahina kia heke takitahi tōna iwi mā te taura, kia takahia ngā tapuwae o te mea o mua e ngā mea o muri. Nā konei i tinihangatia ai e rātou te ope whakaeke, e pōhēhē ana rātou kei roto tonu te iwi rā i tō rātou pā.
He waiata tā Muriwhenua e whakanui ana i tēnei mahi:
Ruia, ruia, tahia, tahia,
Kia hemo te kākoakoa,
Kia herea mai i te kawau korokī.
Kia tātaki mai i roto i te pūkorokoro, whaikoro,
Te kūaka, he kūaka mārangaranga,
Tahi manu i tau ki te tāhuna, tau atu, tau atu, tau atu!
He tohu te kūaka mō ngā iwi o Muriwhenua. Hei te kaupeka o te kōanga heke ai te kūaka i te tuakoi raki, kia hui ki ngā whanga o te rohe o Muriwhenua. Hei te ngahuru ka wehe tahi atu rātou, pērā i te iwi o Tūmatahina i puta i tō rātou pā.
Reitu rāua ko Reipae
E rongonuihia ana ngā māhanga a Reitū rāua ko Reipae i roto i ngā kōrero a te Māori. Nō te haerenga o te rangatira nō Whāngāpē i a Ueoneone ki Waikato ka taka tōna manawa mō ngā tuāhine nei, ā, moea rawa e Ueoneone ngā tokorua nei.
Ka tukuna e Ueoneone tana manu ki te rohe o Waikato ki te tiki i ngā māhanga kia whakahokia ki te tai tokerau. Heoi nō te paenga o te manu rā ki te takiwā e tata ana ki te wāhi kei reira te tāone o Whāngārei ināianei, ka mate aroha atu a Reipae ki tētahi rangatira o reira, ko Ōtāhuhupōtiki tōna ingoa; waihoki ka moe rāua. Ko tētahi tikanga mō te ingoa o Whāngārei ko Te Whanga-a-Reipae.
Ka haere tonu a Reitū ki Whāngāpē ka moe i a Ueoneone kia puta ki waho he māhanga kōtiro, ko Kauae rāua ko Tawakeiti. I moe rāua tahi i a Tūpoto, ā, ka puta i a rātou ngā iwi katoa e noho ana ki tua raki o Tāmaki.
Tōhē
He rangatira a Tōhē nō Ngāti Kahu. He tipuna nui a ia nō roto i a Muriwhenua. I noho ia ki Maunga Piko ki te whanga o Kapowairua. Ka moe tana tamāhine a Rāninikura i tētahi tangata nō Kaipara rā anō, kei te wāhi e pātata ana ki Tākiwira. Kia kaumātua a ia ka puta te ōhākī a Tōhē kei te haere ia ki te tonga kia kite i tana tamāhine i mua i tōna matenga. Nā tona kaumātuatanga ka tono tōna iwi kia kaua ia e haere. Ka whakahoki a Tōhē:
Whakarua i te hau e taea te karo.
Whakarua i taku tamāhine, e kore e taea te karo
Taea Hokianga ā hea ā hea,
Ko tā koutou mahi e kapo ake ai, ko taku wairua.
Nō tēnei kōrero ka takea mai te ingoa a Kapowairua, te ingoa tūturu o Spirits Bay. Ka heke a Tōhē ki te tonga, ka whakaingoatia e ia ngā wāhi 100 ki te tai hauāuru. I mate a ia ki Whāngaiariki kei te pari o Maunganui i mua i tana taenga ki te kāinga o tana tamāhine. Ka tū ngā wāhi i tapaina e Tōhē hei whakamaumaharatanga mō tēnei haerenga mokemoke āna. Ko te ingoa rongonui rawa atu o ēnei taunahatanga, ko Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē.
Te Rēinga
Ko tētahi ingoa mō Te Rēinga, ko Te Rerenga Wairua. Koinei tētahi o ngā wāhi tapu rawa a te Māori. E rua ngā ara e haere atu nā ki Te Rēinga ki te whaitua raki rawa o Te Ika-a-Māui. Ko tētahi ara ka tīmata ki te tonga, ka rere mā te Oneroa-a-Tōhē, ko tētahi atu huarahi ka tīmata ki te whanga o Kapowairua. Ka whakahui ngā wairua ki Te Rēinga kātahi ka ruku ki te wai; i te taenga ki Manawatāwhi ka puea, hei reira poroporoaki ai rātou ki ngā tāngata e mahue nei e rātou. Nō konei ka huri rātou ka ahu ki te kāinga tūturu, ki Hawaiki.
Te Houtaewa
Hei uri a Te Houtaewa mā te rangatira nui o Te Aupōuri mā Te Ikanui. He māia rongonui a ia. Nō tētahi mahinga i tū ai ia ka whakatakotoria ko Hukatere hei paenga whenua ki waenganui i a Te Rarawa me Te Aupōuri. Tērā tētahi wā i omangia e ia te roanga o te one mai i Te Kao ki Ahipara, ki te tango i ngā kete nui, kikī ana i ngā kūmara a Te Rarawa. Ka taki whāia ia e ngā iwi o reira, ā, ahakoa ngā kūmara e kawea ana e ia, kore rawa a ia i mau.
Nō muri ka arahina e Te Houtaewa a Te Aupōuri ki tētahi pakanga nui ki Hukatere. Ko Ngāpuhi me Te Rarawa te hoariri i raro i te awe o ngā rangatira a Hongi Hika rāua ko Te Pōroa. I tēnei pakanga, ka tukuna a Ngāruhe - te mōrehu tama a Whēru te rangatira o Te Aupōuri - kia hopungia a ia e Ngāpuhi, kia whakamamaetia, kia patua, e puta ai ōna whanaunga. I tēnei pakanga ka pūhia a Te Houtaewa e Hongi Hika, ka whāia, ka mau, ka patua ki Pukenui, e pātata ana ki te whanga o Houhora. Mai i taua wā ka noho ko Hukatere te paenga whenua ki waenganui i a Te Rarawa rāua ko Te Aupōuri.
