Ka mua, ka muri
Jade Kake
Ka tū au ki te tihi o Maungarei, e piri ōku kākahu ki tōku tinana. Ka rere he kōtonga, he hau mātaratara, ka hūwiniwini te pokapū a ōku wheua. Ka kapi au i ōku karu, ka hōhonu taku hā i tōku ihu. Kei te paetawhiti, e kōmingo ana te kahurangi ki te karaka. E māwhe ana te marama.
Kei te whakaaro au e pā ana ki te ingoa o te maunga, ngā hītori e poupoua ana ki kōnei. Nō te wā roa, i pōhēhē au i te pūtake o te ingoa i a Reitū rāua ko Reipae, ko ērā māhanga nō Tainui, i haere rāua ki Maungarei i te waenganui o tō rāua haerenga mai i a Waikato ki a Whangārei.
Ko te ingoa Maungarei, he ingoa tāwhito ake, mai i te wā o te taenga mai o ngā waka tūpuna o Tainui rāua ko Te Arawa mai i Hawaiki. Ko te rei (he momo niho) o te paraoa, he tohu o te tangata matatau, te tangata mōhio rānei; he momo taonga hei mau. Ko te whakaaro o ngā tāngata e tae mai ana ki kōnei i taua wā, he ōrite te ahuatanga o te maunga ki te rei o te parāoa. I te wā i mua i te atatū o te rangi, ka kitea te waikohu mā runga i te papa o te whenua, kātahi ka heke ki te runga, ko te moana tērā. Tae pai ai ki ngā maunga, he motu tapu tērā. Nā kōna te ingoa, ko Maungarei.
Inaianei, kua mōhio au ki tēnei pūrākau, kāhore au e taea ana ki te hono ki tēnei wāhi mā te pūrakau mō Reitū rāua ko Reipae. Engari, ka taea e au ki te hono atu ki tēnei wāhi mā tētahi atu mea. I ngā wā o mua, i haere ōku tūpuna o Ngāpuhi ki te pakanga ki a Ngāti Paoa, ka kōkiritia te pā o Mauinaina, ki te pā o Mokoia hoki. He mamae te maumaharatanga; engari, he mea whakahirahira ki te maumahara. He nui rawa ngā hono, tawhito, hou hoki i te ao Māori. Ka whiria e tātou ō tātou whakapapa ki ō tātou whakapapa anō, tangata ki te tangata, hapū ki te hapū, iwi ki te iwi. He manuhiri noa iho ahau, engari, i ngā wā katoa, i ngā wāhi katoaka ngana ahau ki te mōhio i ōku hononga ki te whenua e tū ana ahau.
I ngā wā o mua, he wāhi māhinga kai tēnei, he tino haumako te whenua ki kōnei. Ko ngā one-puia e moe ana ki raro, e take ana mai i ngā rangitoto. I taua wā, i tupuria ngā momo kai i ēnei māra e Ngāti Paoa. He kūmara, he rīwai, he taro, he uhi, he roi. He tāwhiti, he whānui ēnei māra kai, ki te whāngai i ngā iwi katoa o Tāmaki Makaurau e ēnei kai mai i te māra. I poupou te whakapapa i ngā ingoa tawhito. Ko te pā o Mauinaina, he tohu mō te wā o te tipu o ngā kūmara hou. I te wā o mahuru — ki te mutunga o ākuhata, ki te timatanga o hepetema rānei — ka huritia te oneone, kātahi ka whakaweratia te oneone e te rā, ka huri te tae o te oneone ki te hinau. Ko hinau, ko hina, ko ina rānei, ngā ingoa anō mō te tae o ‘kiwikiwi.’ I te wā e huri ana te tae, ka timata ngā kūmara i te oneone ki te tipu. Nā kōna, te ingoa o te pā, Mauinaina, he tohu mō te wā o te huri o te tae o te oneone, te wā o te tipu tuatahi i te wā o Matariki. Mai te tihi, ka titiro au ki te tonga. Ka taea e au te kite i tētahi rua wai whānui.
Ināianei, he āhua porohewa te upoko o te maunga. Korekau ngā rākau tata ki te tihi. Ka takaokeoke ngā ngārara kei raro i ōku waewae. Ki te pai te oranga o ngā ngārara, ka pai te oranga o ngā manu hoki, engari, ka nohopuku te nuinga o ngā manu ināianei, korekau he karanga mai i ngā peka o ngā rākau. Ko te tūmanoko, ka piki te oranga o te taiao ā muri. Ka nui te mahi o ngā Mana Whenua ki te whakaora i te taiao. I te tau rua mano tekau mā whā, i whakapūmautia te Mana Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau mō te take o te kaitiakitanga o ngā maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau. Mai i te whakapūmau, kua timata te mana rōpū ki te whakarāhui te neketanga o ngā waka ki te tihi, te hanga ētahi ara hou mō te tangata, te whakawaatea o ngā momo rākau rāwaho, me te whakatō anō i te whenua i ētahi momo rākau māori. Ko te whainga mō te anamata, mehemea ka whakaora te mauri o te maunga, ka hoki atu ngā manu, ngā ngārara me ngā ngāngara.
I tēnei wā, te wā o Matariki, e hiahia ana au kia titoa tētahi momo karakia. Pūrena ana ngā kare-ā-roto. He hiahia nōku kia tohutia tēnei wā whakahirahira. Pēnei ki te nuinga o te wā inākuanei, e kimi ana au mō tētahi karakia, ki te tohu i ēnei huri, ki te whakatau hoki i tōku wairua, me te whakaū tōku takunetanga mō te tau ā mua. Kāhore au e mōhio ana i te karakia tawhito, engari, e hiahia ana au ki te tito tētahi mea pai. Ka whakaaro au i ōku akoranga hou e pā ana ki te mahi tapu, te mahi karakia. He kaha nōku ki te mahara i te rerekētanga o te karakia Karaitiana ki te karakia Māori. He whakaū, he īnoi rānei? Ka whakatau au i te kī i tētahi karakia māori. Ka tukuna atu e au he karakia poto ki te hau. Ka ngāekieki ngā kupu mai i ōku ngutu. I ahau e karakia ana, kei te whakaaro au i a Ururangi, te whetū o ngā hau katoa, nāna ngā kākano ka mahuetia. E karakia ana au mō te whakarite pai o te whenua, mō te whakatō pai o ngā kākano, ngā tipu. E whakaū ana au i ōku takune mō te hauhake pai. Kia pai ngā hauhake katoa, kia whakakī ngā puku o ngā tāngata katoa i ngā wā katoa. Haumi ē! Hui ē! Tāiki ē!
Ka titiro atu au ki te taumata o te moana. Ka whakauru te kahurangi o te rangi ki te kikorangi o te moana. Ka huri ōku whakaaro ki te tāwahi o te tāone. I ahau e whakarite ana ki te neke atu mā te wāhi me te wā, tūhonotia nā ngā whakapapa i paihere, ka koiri ōku turi, uakina atu ahau ki te rangi. E neke ana au mā te tāone, ki runga ake i ngā whare teitei. Kei te wheriko ngā tūtūātanga o te moana i raro i te whiti o te rā. E tau ana au i te taha o te tāone, kei te wāhi e tūtaki ana tēnei i te moana. E wiriwiri ana ōku waewae. E tāwiri ana te whenua ki raro i ahau e tū ana.
Ka kī te tumu kōrero a Joe Pihema (nō Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) ki au, ko Te Tōangaroa te ingoa tūturu o tēnei wāhi, i muri i te tō o ngā waka ki runga i te papa onepū i te tai timu “ko tēnei te tikanga o Te Tōangaroa — ko te tōtanga, ko te roatanga o te waka nei. Mehemea ka hipa i a koe i te tai pari, he uaua te mahi te tō mai tō waka ki te takutai. Nā reira, mehemea e pari ana te tai me ū tō waka ki uta.”
I te wāhi te waitai me te wai māori e tūtaki ana, ka ora ngā momo kai moana, tae noa ki te pipi, te kūtae, te titiko me te kōkota. Ka whai wāhi nei ko Waitī rāua ko Waitā, ngā whetū o te kai o te wai māori, me te kai o te wai tai e tupu ana. I ngā wā o mua, ko ētahi o ngā mahinga mātaitai, e tata ana ki kōnei, he mahinga tino whakahirahira ki a Ngāti Whātua. Tirohia te neke o ngā tai: tai timu, tai pari. Tirohia te pūtahitanga, te wāhi o te ripo. Engari, mehemea ka patutia te pūtahitanga, kei mate ngā momo kai moana (mō te nuinga, kua matehia kētia).
Tata ki kōnei, kei te uru, ko ētahi kāinga hī ika tawhito, ko Te Tō me Te Oka ngā ingoa. I ngā wā o mua, i puta ngā tāngata o te hapū o Te Taou (tētahi hapū tawhito) ki te moana, ki te hī me te tukatuka ētahi momo ika, engari ko te mangō te mea matua. Ko ēnei wāhi te kapata kai nui o Te Taou.
Kāhore au e kāti ki te whakaaro e pā ana ki ngā ngaro, e pā ana ki ētahi atu huanga. I te tau kotahi mano waru rau wha tekau, ko Apihai Te Kawau (he rangatira ia nō Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) rātou ko ētahi atu rangatira e toru, i tākohatia e rātou e rua mano eka mō te whakatūnga o te pokapū tāone o Tāmaki Makaurau. Ko ngā kupu o te kawenata, “te utu mō tāua wāhi wenua koia tēnei,” e tohu ana i te tauutuutu, he tūmanako kāhore i whakatūtataki. I te tau kotahi mano waru rau whitu tekau mā rima, i tuhia te Pākehā ngā ture hou ki te whakaū i tō rātou rangatiratanga o te takutai moana i ngā mana whenua o tērā wāhi.Mana moana, mana whenua. He ōrite ki tō mātou wheako ki Whangārei, te tuhi anō te raina o te moana, te raupatu o te whenua tuwhiri ki raro.
Kua kite a Joe i ngā raru e pā ana ki te hononga a Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei ki te karauna, engari, e tōmina ana ia mō te ngā rā kei mua. E pā ana ki te whakahou o te whenua, ka tohatoha ia i tētahi atu tirohanga: “ko tēnei whakahou o te whenua, he momo ara tukutuku — he wāhi hei tō waka ki te wai — anō. E hono nei a Papatūānuku ki a Tangaroa.”
Ka huri taku titiro ki te rangi. Ka heke he kōpata ua ki tōku mata. Ka mitia e au te ua i ōku ngutu, ka whakaarohia i a Waipuna-ā-rangi, te whetū o te ua. Āno nei, ka kaha au ki te wahaina he momo karakia mō te whakamarunga o te mauri o te moana. E whakaaro ana au, he āhua hakihakiā ki te tono kia pai te hī ika, kātahi ka whakaaro au i te whakamaumahara a Joe: he mauri tonu ki kōnei i raro i te whenua hou.
E ngā whetū, ko Waitī rāua ko Waitā, tēnā koutou. Ka whakaū au i tō tātou takune pai mō te wāhi ā muri. Kia pai te hī ika, kia marino te moana, kia momona te mātaitai, kia ora ngā tāngata. Tīhei, mauri ora!
He whānui, he roa te tirohanga o Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei mō te wāhi tata ki te moana. Ko ētahi o ngā wawata tae ana ki te whakapai ake i ngā ara ki te moana, te whakahokia mai a ngā tupu me ngā manu māori ki te tāone, te whakapaingia te hau, me te whakahurihia hei wāhi pai mō te whakamahi o te tikanga Māori.
Ko Tama-nui-te-rā e tū teitei ana i te rangi. Ka huri ōku whakaaro ki ngā mea pai katoa, ko ō tātou wawata mō te wā heke. E titiro ana au ki te pūtake o Maungawhau. Matomato ana te tupu mai o ngā rākau māori, o ngā momo kai maha. Ka nui te oranga o ngā manu māori, o ngā ngārara me ngāngara māori. Maunga tū maunga ora, maunga ora tāngata ora, ka ora ai te iwi. E huri ana te ao, e kōmingo ana ngā whakaaro. Kei te tāone nui, ka rere anō ngā wai māori mai i te puna, Ka kōmitimiti te waitai me te wai māori, e ngaruru ai ngā oranga kei waenga rā. Whiti mai ana te rā ki ōku paekamo kapi. Ka pūare au i ōku karu. He ātaahua te tirohanga.
I stand at the top of Maungarei, my clothes sticking to my body. A strong wind blows, piercing down into the centre of my bones. I close my eyes and take a deep breath through my nose. Out on the horizon, where the blue mingles with the orange, the moon fades.
I think about the true name of this mountain, the histories embedded here. For the longest time, I’d thought that the name had come from Reitū and Reipae, those twins from Tainui who went to Maungarei as part of their journey from Waikato to Onerahi — the place that would become Whangārei.
But Maungarei is an older name, dating back to the arrival of the Tainui and Te Arawa waka from Hawaiki. The rei (or tooth) of the whale is a symbol of a skilled or intelligent person; a taonga that is worn. To the people who arrived at that time, the maunga resembled the rei of the parāoa. Just before dawn, mist can be seen on the surface of the whenua, and as it rises it becomes a sea surrounding the base of the mountain. When it reaches the mountain, the mountain becomes a sacred island. Hence the name, Maungarei.
Now that I know this story, I can no longer draw links to this place through whakapapa, through the story of Reitū and Reipae. But I’m able to link to this place through another matter. In the past, my Ngāpuhi ancestors went to war against Ngāti Pāoa and attacked Mauinaina pā. The memory is painful, but it is important to remember. There are so many links, old and new, in the Māori world. We weave our whakapapa back into our whakapapa, person to person, hapū to hapū, iwi to iwi. I’m just a visitor, but, at all times and in all places, I try to know my connections to the whenua where I stand.
In the past, this area was a mahinga kai, a food garden, and the land was very productive. Volcanic soils lay beneath, formed by lava flows. At that time, Ngāti Pāoa grew a variety of foods in these gardens. Kūmara, potatoes, taro, yams and roi. These food gardens were large and wide, with the capacity to feed the whole of Tāmaki Makaurau. The whakapapa is instilled in the old names of these places. Mauinaina pā references the growth of new kūmara. In the time of Mahuru — late August or early September — the soil is turned, allowing the sun to heat it, turning its colour to hinauri, to grey. As the colour changes, kūmara begin to grow in the soil. As a result, the name of the pā, Mauinaina, refers to the change in colour of the soil — the time of the first growth during Matariki.
Now, the head of the maunga is somewhat bald. There are no trees near the top. Insects crawl beneath my feet. If the insects live well, so will the birds, but there are no calls from the branches of the trees. The hope is that the health of te taiao will improve in the future. The work of mana whenua to restore the environment is immense. In 2014, the Tūpuna Maunga Authority was established for the purpose of caring for the maunga of Tāmaki Makaurau. Since its establishment, they have begun to restrict traffic to the summit, to build new pathways for pedestrians, to clear away exotic tree species and replant the land with native trees. The goal for the future is that, if the mauri of the mountain is restored, the birds and insects will return.
Now, at this time of Matariki, I want to compose a kind of karakia. I want to mark this important time. As is often the case lately, I am searching for a prayer to mark these changes, to calm my spirit, and to confirm my intentions for the year ahead. I don’t know any old karakia, he karakia tawhito, but I want to compose something good. I think of my new learnings regarding te mahi tapu, te mahi karakia. I try to remember the difference between karakia Karaitiana and karakia Māori. Is it an affirmation or is it a request? I decide on a karakia Māori. I offer a short karakia to the wind, and words flow from my lips. As I pray, I think of Ururangi, the whetū of all the winds, who scatters the seeds on the wind. E karakia ana au mō te whakaritenga pai o te whenua, mō te whakatōnga pai o ngā kākano, o ngā tipu. E whakaū ana au i aku takune mō te pai o te hauhake. Kia pai ngā hua hauhake katoa, kia kī ngā puku o ngā tāngata katoa i ngā wā katoa. Haumi ē! Hui ē! Tāiki ē!
I look out to the horizon. The blue of the sky merges with the blue of the sea. My thoughts shift to the other side of the city. As I prepare to move through space and time, linked by whakapapa that binds, I bend my knees and open myself to the sky. I move through the city, above the tall buildings. The crests of the moana glisten beneath the rays of the sun. I settle at the edge of the city, where it meets the sea. My legs tremble, the earth beneath me rumbles.
Joe Pihema (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) tells me that Te Tōangaroa is the original name of this place, after the towing of canoes across the sand at low tide. “The name is about the dragging of the waka. If you miss the high tide, it will be difficult to drag your waka to the foreshore. Therefore, if the tide is high, you should land your waka.”
Where the salt water and fresh water meet, a variety of shellfish — including pipi, kūtai, tītiko and kōkota — thrive. The place here is home to Waitī and Waitā, the whetū of freshwater kai and kai moana. In the past, the mātaitai, the shellfish beds located nearby, were of particular importance to Ngāti Whātua. Look at the movement of the tides: low tide, high tide. Look at the convergence, the location of the flow. However, if the place of confluence is destroyed, seafood species will die (for the most part, they are already dead).
Nearby, to the west, are some ancient fishing villages, known as Te Tō and Te Oka. In the past, members of Te Taoū (an ancient hapū) went to the moana to fish and process different types of ika, mangō (sharks) being the main type. These areas used to be the main food supply of Te Taoū.
I can’t help but think about what has been lost, what could have been. In 1840, Āpihai Te Kawau (a rangatira of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) and other rangatira donated 3,000 acres for the construction of Auckland city. The agreement states, “te utu mō taua wāhi wenua koia tēnei,” implying a form of reciprocity that was not fulfilled. In 1875, Pākehā wrote new laws to establish their dominion over the foreshore. Sea rights, land rights. It’s similar to our experience in Whangārei, the re-drawing of the sea line, the confiscation of the reclaimed land below.
Joe has seen the problems with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s relationship with the Crown, but he’s hopeful about the future. Regarding the land reclamation, he offers another perspective: “This reclamation of the land is another type of ara tukutuku (a ramp to drag your waka into the moana), connecting the new foreshore to the old foreshore, connecting Papatūānuku to Tangaroa.”
My gaze shifts to the sky. A drop of water falls on my upturned face. I lick the rain off my lips, and think of Waipuna-ā-rangi, the whetū of rain. Again, I try to say some kind of karakia for the protection of the mauri of the sea. I wonder if it is pointless to ask for good fishing, but as Joe reminded me when we spoke: there is mauri here, still. I pray. E ngā whetū, Waitī, Waitā, tēnā koutou. Ka whakaū au i ngā takune pai mō ngā rā kei tua. Kia pai te hī ika, kia marino te moana, kia mōmona ngā mātaitai, kia ora ngā tāngata. Tihei, mauri ora!
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have a broad and long-term vision for the waterfront area, including improving the connections to the Waitematā, bringing native plants and native birds back to the city, improving air quality, and making it a good place for the practice of tikanga Māori.
Tama-nui-te-rā stands high in the sky. I close my eyes. My thoughts turn to all the good things, our hopes for the future. I’m looking to the base of Maungarei. Native trees and many types of kai are growing well. Native birds and native insects are thriving. Maunga tū, maunga ora, maunga ora, tāngata ora, ka ora ai te iwi. E huri ana te ao, e kōmingo ana ngā whakaaro. In the city, fresh water flows from the spring, and salt water and fresh water converge, allowing life to flourish in between. I open my eyes. He ātaahua te tirohanga. The view is beautiful.
He uri a Jade Kake o Ngāpuhi, o Te Whakatōhea, o Te Arawa anō i ngā kāwai heke o tōna māmā. I te taha o tōna pāpā, nō Hōrana ia. He kaihoahoa whare, he kaituhituhi, he kaihāpai hoki ia. Ko ana aronga nui i te ao tuhinga, ko te whakahokinga mai o te whenua, ko te whakaūnga anō o te rangatiratanga o ngā hapū katoa, ko ngā whakapono Māori hou, ko te tirohanga anamata anō o te Māori.
Jade Kake is of Ngāpuhi, Te Whakatōhea and Te Arawa descent on her mother’s side, and of Dutch descent on her father’s side. She is an architectural designer, writer and advocate. Her literary interests include decolonisation, contemporary Māori theology, and Māori futurism.