Leaving East Cape we entered the Hawke’s Bay region, which in post-colonial Māori storytelling has become known as Te Matau-a-Māui | The hook of Māui, embellishing a far older Polynesian tall tale about a folk hero’s fishing expedition.
Coordinates
Fishing for an apostrophe
According to more recent adaptations of an old Polynesian legend, the demigod Māui borrowed his grandmothers magic jawbone, which he crafted into a double-barbed fish hook. He hid in the waka | canoe his brothers took fishing, revealing himself once at sea. As the annoyed brothers would not share, Māui baited his hook with the blood of his nose. Reciting a karakia | prayer, he cast and hooked a great fish. The fish became North Island and the waka South Island. The curve of Hawke Bay indicates the remains of the hook, with Portland Island off Māhia Peninsula in the north being one barb, and Cape Kidnappers being the second barb to the south.
Curiously, Hawke’s Bay is one of only two place names in NZ that include a possessive apostrophe (the other is Arthur’s Pass). In his diary Cook initially recorded Hawke’s Bay, but a day later wrote Hawkes Bay. Hawke’s Bay became the official name for the region, while the actual bay follows NZ convention and is named Hawke Bay.
🤔 Curiosity
Māhia Peninsula
Rockets launch from Māhia Peninsula’s Ahuriri Point, although there is no public access. We were able to observe boat launches by tractor on Opoutama Beach (first photo). Looking back to Mokotahi Hill from Kinikini Road (second photo). On a 4.5km/ 2h loop walk in Māhia Peninsula Scenic Reserve we saw the endemic epiphytic orchid Dendrobium cunninghamii | winika, but unfortunately it wasn’t flowering (third photo). This orange Trametes coccinea | southern cinnabar polypore did however stand out (final photo).
At Oraka Beach the waters of Maungawhio Lagoon and Kopuawhara Stream reach the sea (first photo). Near Whangawehi, Coronation Reserve commemorates the mass baptism of 245 Māori in 1842, using a hollow in the foreshore rocks as a font (second photo). The adjacent intertidal rock platforms are nice to walk on (third photo), containing rock pools as well as the imprints of fossilised vegetation (final photo).
Wairoa to Napier
Driving along SH2 from Wairoa towards Napier was stop/ start due to the poor road surface/ frequent road works. The landscape consisted mostly of denuded hills bearing the scars of erosion, with glimpses across Hawke Bay to Cape Kidnappers and the city of Napier (first photo). Mohaka Viaduct, built in 1930s, is the tallest in Australasia at 95m (second photo). Lake Tūtira was immensely popular with campers in all guises (third photo); the track around adjacent Lake Waikopiro was closed (final photo).
We diverted inland for the Bell Rock Loop Track. This involves an ascent via forest, which is part of the Boundary Stream “mainland island”. After emerging from the bush, there are views behind you to Māhia Peninsula and Portland Island at its tip (first photo). Bell Rock is one of many outcrops on the (exceptionally windy) Maungaharuru Range, which has extensive views. To our surprise we could see to snow-clad Mount Ruapehu on the centre horizon (second photo). As other outcrops here, the bell is eroded sandstone (third photo). Here’s the view from the bell to its nearest neighbours (final photo).
From the bell we returned via the 4×4 ridge track, where views over rocks, scrub and managed forest continued (first photo). A predator-proof enclosure supports re-establishment of mainland tītī and kōrure (types of petrel) breeding populations (second photo). Adjacent is a sealed and (spiritually) protected cave that holds the remains of translocation failures (third photo). There were yet more ridge views (final photo) before we rejoined the road.
The loop was 7.3km and took us 2h 20min to return to the car park:
Napier
Napier is known for its art deco buildings. In 1931 a magnitude M7.8 earthquake, together with follow-on fires, caused extensive damage to the city and resulted in a programme of rebuilding. The prevailing decorative style of the time called for bold geometric lines, shapes and colours—as seen in the Daily Telegraph (first photo), Central Fire Station (second photo), Masonic Hotel and Dome (third photo) buildings. You only had to wander and look up to see more examples (final photo)!
Napier is the place for experiencing 1930s style, as art deco applied to more than just architecture. Fans of the “jazz age” can dress up in period clothing (first photo), ride the streets in vintage automobiles (second photo), find their way with the aid of period typography (third photo), and admire or purchase artwork in NZ’s (the world’s?) art deco capital (final photo).
Napier also has some good examples of Victorian era architecture. Made of wood, these buildings were more resilient to shaking and so survived the 1931 earthquake—a few even managed to escape the fires that followed. This example on Marine Parade needs some TLC (first photo). The early 1900s weatherboarded “up & down” villas of the Six Sisters have faired better (second photo). You can book to stay in refurbished example (final photo).
How did people experience the earthquake?
The MTG Hawke’s Bay in Napier includes an exhibit recalling survivor stories. The shaking was significant:
“The room pitched and rocked violently in all directions. We lurched and struggled for the door where we became jammed, a human mass of children clawing and fighting for a way out. A boy yelled ‘It’s the end of the world’ and I thought so too.” (Joan Masters)
Limited awareness of the danger posed by tsunami meant that survivors assembled on the beach:
“Marine Parade looked like a huge picnic.
There were thousands of people camping, cooking, huddling together, gazing at the horizon – shocked, homeless, bereaved.” (Marie Gray).
Help took longer to arrive than it does at present, with medical aid arriving the following day aboard the cruisers HMS Dunedin and HMS Diomede sailing from Auckland :
“Two faint grey shapes had entered the bay and were steaming steadily toward the Port. We broke down and cried like kids. Honest to God, we did. Help had come.” (Marie Gray).
🤔 Curiosity
Napier’s Marine Parade Beach can see big surf, safely watched from the Viewing Platform (first photo). Nearby, a sculpture of Pānia recalls a Māori fable in which the sea people maiden was turned into a reef, aiming to prevent reunion with her land-based lover (second photo). The Soundshell sits on a foreshore uplifted by 2m in 1931 (third photo). The National Aquarium of New Zealand has an odd mix, including kiwi, tuatara, kororā, frogs—and of course fish (final photo)!
Some iwi | tribes consider the tuatara (first photo) as the kaitiaki | guardians of knowledge. NZ has two species of coastal crayfish or “rock lobsters”, the more common of which is Jasus edwardsii (second photo); crays lack the large crushing pincers that are associated with lobsters elsewhere. Little blue penguins | kororā are able to drink salt water (third photo); they filter it using glands above their eyes and sneeze it out! The green and golden bell frog/ Ranoidea aurea is an Australian species introduced to NZ in the 1860s (final photo); it’s doing well here, although has become endangered in its native southeastern Australia range.
Ātea a Rangi | The Star Compass in Waitangi Regional Park uses pou | carved posts to explain how the rising and setting of stars helped Māori navigate ocean-going waka. In the background of this photo diggers collect and burn cyclonic beach debris:
Ātea a Rangi | The star compass
Information on site from Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust explains how star navigation worked:
“Like the sun, stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west. If you know where stars rise and set, the horizon can be used as a compass. The Ātea a Rangi splits the horizon into four quadrants of wind: Tokerau, Marangai, Tonga Pūawanga and Tapatapa atiu. The horizon also divides into 32 equal areas called whare (houses) which are the pou (carved posts) around the compass. The four main houses are Whitinga, Tomokanga, Raki and Tonga. Stars that rise in a house in the east, also set in the same named opposite house in the west, for example Matariki rises in Kāinga ki Tokerau and sets in Kāinga ki Tapatapa atiu. If stars are seen close to the horizon, they can be used to determine direction.”
🤔 Curiosity
Otatara Pā was abandoned in about 1550, following a post-siege truce; palisades were erected in 1990 to simulate defensive works, but the site has been largely destroyed by quarrying:
A prize worth fighting for
Information on site attempts to convey what has been lost:
“Imagine arriving as a manuhiri (visitor) in the early 1500s. From here you would have looked up and seen many whare (houses) on terraces dug into the hillside. Behind the defensive palisades you would have seen people working in the gardens and with their families—others would have been out in the wider area fishing, hunting or perhaps visiting family at Heipipi. Located close to a network of rivers and the resource-rich estuary, and with commanding views, Otatara and Hikurangi were prizes worth fighting for.”
🤔 Curiosity
Central Hawke’s Bay
Given persistent rain, we decided to get some driving in and make for the south of the region, before returning north. On farmland near Pōrangahau (behind the hill on the right of the valley in the first photo) is a modest 305m peak named
Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupōkaiwhenuakitānatahu
It’s the world’s longest place name at 85 letters (second photo). It means “The hilltop where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his flute to his beloved.” We also frequented the local pub/ park-over property (third photo) and beach (final photo).
“Taumata…” is pronounced like this:
Note that the hill isn’t visible from the road, but can be accessed via a 5km walk across private land by arrangement ($10pp).
As manuhiri | guests, thanks to our tangata whenua | hosts, Ngāti Kere hapū (Ngāti Kahungunu iwi) for a look around Pōrangahau. Aorangi is a hill with views over township and coast (first photo). The wharenui | meeting house at Rongomaraeroa Marae (called Te Poho o Kahungunu) hasn’t reopened since it was flooded in Cyclone Gabrielle (second photo); the carvings on the facade were made in 1911. The taurapa | stern carving of the hapū’s waka, built for Queen Elizabeth’s visit to NZ in 1990. It was subsequently loaned to Wairoa when it was damaged in a flood; recovered pieces now decorate the marae (third photo). It was an especially large vessel, needing over 100 paddlers, which could be a struggle for the small village to field. Sections of rauawa | gunwale carving (final photo). Notice what the foot of the bottom figure is clutching? It’s a lighter (upside down)! Is that a green glass bottle the top figure has in its foot? Photos with permission.
What is the Māori concept of koha?
We vote for Pōrangahau as NZ’s friendliest place—literally everyone waved—and they have each other’s backs. A Ngāti Kere elder gave permission for us to park over at the pub, and took us around the village in his 4×4. In return we gave him cake and left a donation at the bar: this is an example of koha, and it helps build cohesion/ social capital in small rural Māori communities like this.
According to the Te Aka Māori Dictionary:
“Koha (noun) gift, present, offering, donation, contribution—especially one maintaining social relationships and has connotations of reciprocity. In the modern context, in many tribes the koha is laid down on the marae by the visitors’ last speaker in the form of money collected prior to going onto the marae at the pōhiri, but not all tribes agree with this practice. Such koha would be intended for the marae and to be reciprocated at some time in the future, but koha given quietly to a leader in person (kōkuhu) would be intended to defray the costs of the hui. Some tribes prefer to call such donations whakaaro or kohi, because of the conotations of tapu associated with the words takoha or its shortened form of koha. In traditional Māori society the koha often took the form of food which was usually delivered directly to the place where the food was prepared and would not be presented on the marae. If the koha took the form of a valuable cloak, ornament or weapon, the way the gift was presented indicated whether the gift was intended to be returned at some future time, or not.”
❤️ Well-being
We made a tour around several Central Hawke’s Bay beaches. At Blackhead (first photo) around low tide, the exposed mudstone platforms contain pipe-like gas seep concretions (but we didn’t see them, as our visit was near high tide). Every man’s beach house is his castle at Aramoana (second photo). Pourerere (third photo) was visited by Cook in 1773; the first sheep in the Hawke’s Bay region arrived here in 1849. Campers flocked to Kairakau Beach, intent on making a long weekend out of Waitangi Day (final photo).
Limosa lapponica/ bar-tailed godwit/ kuaka seem fond of the Central Hawke’s Bay coast; we saw it at both Te Paerahi Beach and Pourerere Beach. We think of ourselves as travellers—yet these birds undertake an annual 29,000km round trip between Alaska and NZ. In either direction, this is the longest non-stop flight of any bird and the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal! Nature never fails to amaze…
As we headed inland, the diffuse rainbow in front of the Ruahine Range foretold dampness (first photo). We approached the foothills on a rough road through private farmland (second photo). The view from the car park suggested it would be a good day for hike (third photo); however, soon after the heavens opened! We bailed 3.4km into Sunrise Track, having gotten drenched. We made a brief stop in Ongaonga for fuel and newspaper to stuff into our soggy boots. The village open-air museum had historic buildings that were closed (open only 4h per week); the final photo of one of them was also taken during a weather window!
Hastings
The gannet colonies on Te Kauwae-a-Māui | Cape Kidnappers are 19km/ 5h return the via the rockfall-prone beach; tide times not in our favour and private tours are too expensive. As noted above, the Māori name references the demigod’s use of his grandmother’s mandible as a hook to fish up North Island. Captain Cook’s name derives from a Māori attempt to “rescue” Endeavour’s Tahitian cabin boy, thinking him a captive Māori; several of the “kidnappers” were shot.
Te Mata Park in Hawke Bay was formed from 2–3 million year-old uplifted and tilted limestone seabed | is sculpted from the postprandial body of a legendary Māori chief. Te Mata Peak at 399m offers panoramic views (first photo); Napier lies to the north (second photo). Looking across the Heretaunga plains we could see Mount Ruapehu, nestled between the Ruahine and Kaweka ranges (third photo). Māhia Peninsula on the horizon, Craggy Range vineyard on Tukituki River in the foreground, and Cape Kidnappers right of frame are visible in the final wide angle photo.
The 1915 Opera House (first photo) is regarded as Hastings’ finest Spanish mission building—an architectural style informed by Catholic missions in Spanish America—and relatively common in Hastings’ CBD! Westerman’s Building is another example, which also incorporates other styles (second photo). Art deco and stripped classical designs were likewise favoured in the 1930s when rebuilding after the Hawke’s Bay earthquake (third and final photos).
We took the Thermal Explorer Highway/ SH5 towards Taupō, passing through the remains of Eskdale (first photo)—piles of silt, abandoned homes and banks of wood debris—the road under active repair. Scars from man-made erosion and logging don’t bode well for the next cyclone. We once again crossed the Mohaka River, near Te Haroto (second photo). Waipunga Falls drop the Waipunga Stream by 40m (third and final photos).
At this point we left Hawke’s Bay, heading into NZ’s volcanic heartland.
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