Ko te kōrero kei muri i te ingoa
Kua hia rau tau te iwi o te rohe, a Ngāti Manuhiri, e noho ana, e tiaki ana hoki i tēnei whenua. I mōhiotia rātou hei tohunga ki te pōkai moana, ā, i mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā, ka kaha whakatere ō rātou tūpuna i te waka kia hāereere, kia hī ika hoki. He mea āta tārai ngā waka ki te toki ngao matariki, ā, ka whakatōngia hoki ki te mauri ora nō ngā ngahere e pātata ana. Mā aua waka rā rātou pōkai ai i ngā wai rerehua o tēnei āhuru mōwai i Te Moana-nui-a-Toi (e kīia whānuitia nei e te nuinga ko Tīkapa Moana).
Nā runga i tana tino taunga ki ngā momo āhuatanga o te whenua, o te moana, ka whakatere waka te kaihautū mā ngā taiawa e huna ana me ngā kokoru e whakamarumarutia ana, e huraina ai ngā muna o te punanga moana.
I ngā wā o nehe, ka huri ngā waka tāraro hei marae kautere, hei hononga ora hoki ki ngā kōrero o Whangaparāoa kua tāraia ki te rākau tonu o te waka. He wāhi ōkawa i mihi ai ngā kaihoe ki ngā wairua o te whenua. I Whangaparāoa nei, ka whakanui te iwi i ō rātou hononga ki tēnei tai taurikura i te taki o ā rātou hoe e kōue ana, i te pāorooro hoki o ngā mōteatea i ngā paripari.
I puta i ia whanga, i ia mātārae, he kōhimuhimu kōrero mō ngā pakanga o uki, mō ngā tūora mīharo o te moana, mō te manawaroa hoki o te iwi i takahi rā i ēnei takutai whakatupuranga mai, whakatupuranga atu. Ka hora mai ko te koutu kūiti o Whangaparāoa me ōna horanga whenua kanorau, me ōna kura huna, ki mua i te aroaro o ō tātou tūpuna. Ka kitea e rātou he pūaha e whakamarumarutia ana hei taunga okioki mō rātou, he tāhuna urutapu hei wāhi kohikohi kaimoana, he waoku hoki e matomato a ngāi tupu, a ngāi kīrehe hoki e taketake ana.
The story behind the name
Local iwi Ngāti Manuhiri have lived on and cared for this land for hundreds of years. They were well known as expert navigators and in pre-European times their tūpuna (ancestors) used waka extensively for travel and fishing. These were intricately crafted vessels alive with the essence of the local forests. They became the means through which they navigated the enchanting waters of this coastal haven of Te Moana-nui-ā-Toi (now more commonly referred to by most as the Hauraki Gulf).
The waka navigator, deeply attuned to the nuances of the land and sea, guided the vessel through hidden passages and sheltered coves, revealing the secrets of this maritime sanctuary.
In ancient times, adorned with ancestral carvings, waka became a floating marae and a living link to the stories of the Whangaparāoa etched into the very wood of the waka. A ceremonial space where the crew paid homage to the spirits of the whenua. Here around Whangaparāoa, with the rhythmic strokes of their paddles and the melodic chants that echoed against the cliffs, iwi celebrated their connection to this coastal wonderland.
Each bay, each promontory, whispered tales of ancient battles, legendary sea creatures, and the resilience of the people who walked these shores for generations. The Whangaparāoa Peninsula, with its diverse landscapes and hidden treasures, unfolded before the eyes of our tūpuna. They discovered sheltered harbors where they could rest, pristine beaches where they could gather kaimoana, and dense forests teeming with native flora and fauna.
