I mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā ki Aotearoa arā noa atu ngā mahi tauhokohoko moana i whakahaerehia i waenganui i ngā iwi o Whāngārei, ki ngā takiwā atu i Muriwhenua, ki Motu Kōkako me Rākaumangamanga, ahu whakatetonga ki Tāmaki-makaurau, hāngai ki te rāwhiti, ki Hauturu (Little Barrier Island) me Aotea (Great Barrier Island). Nā tēnei āhua, noho ai ngā tōpūtanga tāngata ki ō rātou kāinga i te takutai.
Ka tau ētahi waka ki te takutai ki Whāngārei. Ko Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi te waka o Manaia, ka tau ki Motu Kōkako. He kōrero anō e mea ana, koia te rangatira o te waka a Ruakaramea, ka tau ki Whāngārei. Ko ōna uri i noho ki te takutai, ki ngā moutere o Tawhitirahi me Aorangi (Poor Knights Islands), o Taranga me Marotiri (Hen and Chicken Islands).
Tau mai ai ngā waka a Tūnui-a-rangi rāua ko Te Arawa ki Whāngārei. Ko Tāhuhunui-o-te-rangi te rangatira o te waka, a Moekākara, ka pae ki te moutere o Te Kawau me Cape Rodney. Ki kō whakateraki atu o Cape Rodney, ko te whanga iti i tau atu ai a Te Wakatūwhenua.
Ko Puhi te rangatira o te waka a Mataatua, nāna ētahi wāhi o te takutai i taunaha: ko Taiharuru (ngā tai haruru) me Ngunguru (ngā tai ngunguru); ko Tutukākā (he wāhi hopu manu); ko Matapōuri, te wāhi i tau ai te waka i te pō; ko Whananaki, (nā te ngau o te waeroa i te wā moe); ko Te Purupurutanga o Mataatua, te wāhi i purupurua ai ngā aurukōwhao o te waka; ko Whangaruru (he whanga haumaru); ko Te Tīheru-a-Mataatua, he moutere pakupaku kei te taha o Motu Kōkako, koinei te wāhi i taka te tīheru o te waka ki te wai, kia pae ki uta. Nā Puhi anō ngā moutere o Tawhitirahi me Aorangi (Poor Knights Islands) i whakaingoa.
E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho, tērā te wā i tū kotahi ai ki Hawaiki ngā maunga nei a Manaia, a Maunga Raho, a Tokatoka. Nā runga i ngā akiaki a Manaia, ka whakataetae rātou kia whakawhiti i te moana ki Aotearoa; i te whitinga o te rā, ka mau rātou, ka hurihia rātou hei kōhatu ki ngā wāhi kei reira rātou e tū ana i tēnei wā; ko Manaia kei Whāngārei, ko Maunga Raho rāua ko Tokatoka kei ngā tahatika o te awa o Te Wairoa.
Kei ētahi atu e kōrero ana mō te huringa o te tipuna a Manaia hei maunga. Ka taka ki tētahi rā, i a rātou ko tōna iwi e hī ika ana, ka mau tana matau ki te kōtore o tētahi ngohi. Ko tana whakamāoritanga o tēnei, he aituā kei te haere. Ka tere ia ki te kāinga. Kia tata ia ki uta, ka karangahia e ia tana wahine kia haere atu. I te unuhanga i ōna kākahu kia kau atu ki a Manaia, ka kite atu a Manaia, kua mahi pūremu tana wahine me tana pononga, a Paeko. Kātahi ka tahuri a Paeko rāua ko Manaia ki te whiu mākutu, tētahi ki tētahi. Ko te mutunga iho o tēnei mahi, kua huri a Manaia rātou ko tana wahine, ko tana pononga a Paeko, ko ētahi o āna tamariki hei tara koikoi ki te tihi o te maunga a Manaia.
Ko Ngare Raumati tētahi o ngā iwi tawhito rawa ki ngā takiwā whakateraki o Whāngārei. Ko te pokapū o tō rātou whenua papatipu, ko Te Rāwhiti. I roto i te rau tau 1700 ka riri a Ngare Raumati rāua ko Ngāpuhi, ka raupatuhia te rahi o ōna whenua, i te toronga o Ngāpuhi atu i Kaikohe, ki Te Waimate, ki roto hoki o Pēwhairangi.
Ko Ngāi Tāhuhu anō tētahi iwi tawhito nō te taha raki o Whāngārei, nō Pēwhairangi hoki. Hei uri rātou mā Tāhuhunui-o-te-rangi, te rangatira o te waka a Moekākara. Ko ngā pā o Ngāi Tāhuhu ka tū ki Pouērua, ki Pēwhairangi, ki te whārua o Mangakāhia, ki Whāngārei, ki Te Ārai, tae rawa atu ki Ōtāhuhu i Tāmaki-makaurau. Kia tae ki ngā tau pokapū o te rau tau 1800, kua iti te rohe whenua o te iwi ki te taha whakarunga o te awa o Te Wairoa me te taha whakarunga o te whārua o Mangakāhia. Ko Tāhuhupōtiki te tama, te mokopuna rānei o Tāhuhunui-o-te-rangi, ka moe i a Reipae, te wahine rangatira o Waikato.
Whakaheke mai ai te iwi o Ngāti Wai i a Manaia (te rangatira o Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi, o Ruakaramea rānei), ka mutu, he iwi tūturu rātou nō Whāngārei. Ko Ngāti Wai he iwi noho ki te takutai. Ko tō ratou ingoa i ahu mai i Manawahuna, he ana kei raro i a Motu Kōkako. Ka noho ngā tohunga ki reira wānanga ai i te ia o te wai tai ka rere i te ana - ka tohu ki te pai, ki te kino rānei. Ka mōhiotia a Ngāti Wai he iwi marau, he iwi tauhokohoko i ngā ara moana. Whakapapa ai a Ngāti Wai ki ngā tīpuna o ngā takiwā atu i Whangaroa ki te raki, ki Tāmaki i te tonga, mawhiti whakaterāwhiti ki ngā moutere o Hauturu (Little Barrier Island) me Aotea (Great Barrier Island), i nōhia e Ngāti Rehua, he hapū nō Ngāti Wai. I ēnei rā, kei te taha raki me te taha tonga o Whāngārei te nuinga o te iwi e noho ana. E noho ana a Ngāti Wai ki te taha o ētahi atu iwi noho takutai, pēnei i a Ngāti Kahu rātou ko Te Whānauwhero, ko Te Ākitai, ko Te Panupuha.
Ko ngā kāinga o Te Parawhau, kei te taha raki me te taha tonga o Whāngārei, hoki ana ki te tuawhenua. He hononga tata ō te iwi nei ki a Ngāti Wai, ki a Ngāpuhi, ki a Ngāti Whātua, ki te tipuna ki a Tahuwhakatiki, tētahi o ngā kaiārahi o te waka a Te Arawa i tōna paenga ki Whāngārei. E ai ki tētahi kōrero, ko te ingoa o Parawhau, mō te hanga pōito kupenga mai i te rākau whau. Tērā anō tētahi kōrero, mō te pani i ngā tūpāpaku ki te pia o te rākau whau. He kōrero anō mō tētahi wā i whakapaetia te iwi ki runga i tētahi maunga i Whāngārei. Ka hakaina e te tipuna e Para tana haka, ka ara ake te iwi ki runga, ka patua te hoariri. Nāwai, ā, kua huri te ingoa o taua maunga, mai i Parahaka (te haka a Para) ki Parahaki.
Ko Patuharakeke rātou ko Ngāti Kahu, ko Ngāti Manuhiri ko Te Ākitai, he huānga iwi nō Ngāti Wai me Te Parawhau. Noho pū ai ratou ki ngā tāhuna atu i te taha tonga o Whāngārei ki Mahurangi. Ko te ingoa o Te Ākitai, mō te ākina o te tinana o tētahi o ō rātou tipuna e ngā toka tū moana. He iwi tawhito a Ngāti Kahu, e hono ana ki a Ngāti Kahu o Muriwhenua.
He kōrero tuku iho mō te ingoa o Whāngārei.
Ko te ingoa a Whāngārei, e kōrero ana mō te whanga o Reitū, mō te whanga o Reipae rānei. He tuakana teina a Reitū rāua ko Reipae, nō Waikato; i huri rāua hei manu, ka rere whakateraki atu i Waikato. Ka noho a Reipae ki Kaipara. Ka rere tonu a Reitū kia tae ia ki te whanga i ingoatia mōna; i reira ka mate kanehe atu ia ki a Manaia. Kei tētahi atu kōrero e mea ana, nā tētahi manu nui a Reitu rāua ko Reipae i waha i tōna tuarā, ā, tau ana, ka moe a Reipae i a Tāhuhu-pōtiki.
Arā anō te kōrero kei te kī, he toka tū moana (Castle Rock) a Whangarei ki kō mai o Marsden Point. Ka whakatūria ki konei ngā tautiaki o te whanga. Ko te tikanga o te ingoa whanga-rei i konei, ko te whanga i te hoariri.
Ko tētahi atu tikanga o te ingoa o Whāngārei, mō tētahi wāhi whakarauika, whakahuihui. Nā Ngāti Wai te whanga i tapa ki te ingoa, a Whangarei-te-rerenga-parāoa, nā te huihui o te parāoa ki te whanga ki te kai i te wā o te raumati. Kei tētahi atu kōrero, ko te whanga he wāhi hui o ngā rangatira.
Ko te tikanga o tēnei ingoa, ‘e whanga ana i te rei o te tohorā’. Ka hoki atu ngā kōrero ki te wā i whakamātau ai tētahi tohunga mata i te ruānuku kia whakaatuhia ōna tino mātauranga. Ka whakahokia ngā pātai a te tohunga mata e te ruānuku, ‘E whanga nei koe i te rei o te tohorā?’
Nā te kai apu a te Pākehā, kua riro te nuinga o ngā whenua o ngā iwi o te takutai ki Whāngārei. Whai muri i ngā rohe o Hauraki, o Waikato, o Taranaki, ko te rohe o Tāmaki te rohe e mau ana te Māori i te iti rawa o ōna whenua, ki te tātaitia mā ia tangata.
Kia tae ki te tau 1860, kua riro te 42% o ngā whenua o ngā iwi o te takutai o Whāngārei. Kia tae ki te tau 1865, e 1.6 miriona eka (e 650,000 heketea) kua tangohia, ā, taka rawa ki te tau 1890, e 25% anake o ngā whenua katoa e puritia tonutia ana i te ringaringa Māori. Ka eke ki te rau tau 1900, kei te murua tonutia ngā whenua. Kia tae ki te tau 1939, e 5% anake o ngā whenua katoa e mau ana i te Māori – e 10 eka (4 heketea) mō ia tangata. I pēhia anōtia te ōhanga o ngā iwi ki-tai, i te murunga o ngā mahinga ika me ngā whenua i ngā moutere o Aotea, o Hauturu, o Taranga, o Marotiri, o Tawhitirahi me Aorangi, hei whenua rāhui tiaki taiao.
I ngā tau tōmua o te rau tau 2000, i raro i Te Poari Kaitiaki o Ngāti Wai, ka tukuna he kerēme e ngā iwi o Whāngārei ki-tai ki Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Tū kaha ana rātou i ngā take tiaki taiao, pērā i te keringa o ngā kirikiri i te one o Pākiri, te whakamate i te kiore i te moutere o Hauturu, te rāhuitanga hoki o ngā tohu whenua nui ki te iwi.
I ngā tatauranga o Aotearoa mai i te tau 1991 ka pātaihia ngā tāngata Māori nō tēhea iwi rātou.
Kei raro ko ngā nama e whakaatu ana tokohia ngā tāngata nō Ngāti Wai (e whai pānga ana rānei ki ētahi atu iwi hoki). Kei raro anō whakaatuhia ai ngā iwi o ngā rohe nunui i te tatauranga o te tau 2013.
Daamen, Rose, Paul Hamer, and Barry Rigby. Auckland. Waitangi Tribunal Rangahaua Whanui Series. Wellington: Waitangi Tribunal, 1996.
Keene, Florence. O te raki: Maori legends of the north. Auckland: Paul’s Book Arcade, 1963.
Keene, Florence. Tai Tokerau. Whāngārei: F. Keene, 1986.
Lee, Jack. ‘I have named it the Bay of Islands’. Auckland: Hodder & Stoughton, 1983.
Sissons, Jeffrey, and others. The puriri trees are laughing. Auckland: Polynesian Society, 1987.
Smith, S. Percy. The peopling of the north. Christchurch: Kiwi, 1998 (originally published 1897).