Pōhurihanga, captain of the Kurahaupō Waka

The Mahuhu waka is said to have arrived about 1300AD. It was captained either by Rongomai or by his father Whakatau-potiki3. Rongomai and many of the crew settled at Taporapora and married local women and a new mix of peoples emerged. After living there some time and having children, Rongomai was drowned in the Kaipara and his body chewed by trevalli. It is said that Rongomai’s descendants will not eat trevalli as a result, as his death was attributed to an act of witchcraft. Rongomai’s widow’s lament “Taporapora whakatahuri waka, whakarere wahine” (Taporapora that capsizes canoes and bereaves women) remains a proverb in the area reminding us of the many lives lost in crossing the Kaipara channel. Some of Rongomai’s people including his son Po left Taporapora and returned to Muriwhenua and formed the nucleus of what became known as the Ngati Whatua tribe. Po’s daughter Te Whatu-tahae married her cousin Mawete and this couple had three daughters. The eldest was Te Whatua-kaimarie, ancestress of Ngati Whatua (from whom some say the tribe received its name.)

On landing, Pōhurihanga declared, ‘Te muri o te whenua’ (This is the end of the land) – hence the founding tribe’s name, Muriwhenua.

Pōhurihanga married Maieke, and their children settled Kapowairua, Pārengarenga Harbour, and Murimotu. A daughter, Muriwhenua, moved to Karikari where she married Rongokako of the Tākitimu canoe.

On landing, Pōhurihanga declared, ‘Te muri o te whenua’ (This is the end of the land) – hence the founding tribe’s name, Muriwhenua.

Pōhurihanga married Maieke, and their children settled Kapowairua, Pārengarenga Harbour, and Murimotu. A daughter, Muriwhenua, moved to Karikari where she married Rongokako of the Tākitimu canoe.

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We can enumerate a good many people that came over in "Kurahaupo" (the name of which vessel, by the way, was "Tarai-po" at one time before she left Hawaiki—possibly named after a famous exploring canoe used by Maori and Rarotonga ancestors some centuries prior to the heke).

From the Taranaki tribe we get the following names:— Te Mounga-roa Arai-pawa Te Rangi-awhia Turu-rangi-marie Hatauira To Rangi-tutu Amaru-tawhiti Rongo-mai-rere-tu Tu-kapua Akurama-tapu Te Rangi-tuhi-ao Toka-uri Toka-hau Toka-poto Toka-tara Tamatea-ki-te-aro-a-uki Kere-papaka (Te Mounga-roa's son)

Seventeen names in all as remembered, but there were thirty-five people known to have settled on the Taranaki coast. Toko-poto was the ancestor of Ngati-Haupoto hapu of Rahotu; Toka-tara was the ancestor of Potiki-roa, of whom see infra. And the Oa-kura river, eight miles south of New Plymouth, received its name from the fact of the redness (kura) of the soles of Akurama-tapu's feet when running there, and the Tapuae-haruru river, seven miles south of New Plymouth, was named from the "resounding footsteps" of the same man. In addition to the above we have from other accounts the following names of persons who came on in the canoe after she was repaired:— Ruatea, of Ngati-Apa, Po (or Pou), of the Rarawa, Koanga-umu, Wainui-a-ono, Awaawa and Kupakupa of Ngati-Kuia, etc. Making forty-one in all. But of course there were many more, for we do not know the names of those who settled at Te Taitapu, etc.

Sources

Smith, P. S. (1910). History and traditions of the Maoris of the West Coast, North Island of New Zealand, prior to 1840: The "Kura-Haupo" Canoe. Victoria University of Wellington.
https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-SmiHist-t1-body1-d6-d...

Te Aupōuri., & The Crown. (2012, January 28). Deed of settlement of historical claims [Deed]. New Zealand Government.
https://www.govt.nz/assets/Documents/OTS/Te-Aupouri/Te-Aupouri-Deed...