Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga
|
| Koro
Jim
Rimene,
had
the
vision
for
Pukaha
|
Prior
to
the
arrival
of
European
settlers
into
the
Wairarapa/Tararua
areas,
Pukaha
Maunga
was
part
of
a
huge
native
forest
that
stretched
from
the
Opaki
Plains
just
north
of
Masterton
to
the
beginning
of
the
Takapau
Plains
near
Dannevirke.
The
Maori
name
for
this
forest
was
Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga.
The
early
settlers
named
it
70
Mile
Bush.
The
name
Pukaha
comes
from
two
Maori
words;
pu
–
meaning
‘blow’
and
kaha,
which
means
‘strong’.
This
refers
to
the
strong
winds
that
are
still
prevalent
in
the
northern
Wairarapa.
Whatonga
was
an
ancestor
of
the
Rangitaane
tribe
who
are
the
tangata
whenua
(people
of
the
land)
of
the
area
around
Pukaha.
It
was
Whatonga
who
first
discovered
the
forest
while
exploring
New
Zealand's
lower
North
Island.
To
commemorate
this
discovery
he
called
the
forest
‘Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga’
or
‘The
Great
Domain
of
Whatonga’.
The
people
of
Rangitaane,
and
in
particular
Ngati
Hamua
the
paramount
hapu,
built
papakainga
(settlements)
throughout
Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga.
Several
of
the
settlements
were
situated
near
what
are
now
known
as
Masterton,
Eketahuna,
Pahiatua,
Woodville
and
Dannevirke.
The
area
within
Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga,
from
Pukaha
through
to
Dannevirke
was
called
Tamaki,
today
it
is
known
as
Rangitaane
o
Tamaki
Nui
a
Rua.
Nga
peka
o
te
tau
–
The
seasons
of
the
year
For
centuries
the
Ngati
Hamua
people
followed
a
nomadic
lifestyle
to
find
food
and
resources
throughout
the
year.
In
spring,
whole
villages
would
travel
from
the
inland
valley
out
to
the
coastal
area
to
spend
summer
gathering
seafood.
They
had
seasonal
villages
set
up
along
the
coastline
that
would
accommodate
them
for
the
entire
harvest
season
with
well-tendered
gardens
and
access
to
freshwater.
By
late
summer
they
came
inland
again
to
gather
berries
and
to
hunt
birds
and
native
rats
that
had
grown
fat
from
eating
the
rich
supply
of
tree
fruits.
In
autumn
they
would
follow
old
tracks
northwards
past
Pukaha
and
into
the
dense
forest
that
was
once
Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga.
On
the
way
they
would
stop
in
clearings
that
they
had
planted
in
the
previous
season.
Shelters
were
built
around
these
clearings
so
that
the
people
could
tend
the
crops
and
fish
for
tuna
(eels),
koura
(freshwater
crayfish)
and
kakahi
(freshwater
mussels).
Once
rested
they
would
move
onto
the
next
site.
Pukaha
Pukaha
Maunga
is
the
last
significant
part
of
Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga
still
in
existence.
Pukaha,
like
many
other
significant
places,
was
given
its
own
name
to
signify
its
importance
to
Rangitaane.
It
was
a
place
from
which
our
ancestors
found
food,
gathered
plants
for
medicinal
purposes
and
derived
knowledge
about
the
environment.
Jason
Kerehi
December
2004
About
Rangitaane..
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