Tōhē

Tōhē, a chief of the Ngāti Kahu people, is one of Muriwhenua’s most important ancestors. He lived at Maunga Piko in Kapowairua Bay, far from his only daughter Rāninikura, who had married a man from the Kaipara near Dargaville.

When Tōhē was very old he announced his intention to journey south to see his daughter one last time. His people, concerned about his health, asked him not to go.

Tōhē replied: "Whakarua i te hau, e taea te karo. Whakarua i taku tamāhine, e kore e taea te karo. Taea Hokianga, ā hea, ā hea. Ko tā koutou mahi e kapo ake ai, ko taku wairua".

I can shelter from the wind. But I cannot shelter from the longing for my daughter. I shall venture as far as Hokianga, and beyond. Your task (should I die) shall be to grasp my spirit.

The Māori name for Spirits Bay, Kapowairua, comes from this saying. Tōhē made his way south, naming over 100 places along the western coast, but he died at Whāngaiariki near Maunganui Bluff, before reaching his daughter’s home.

The Tōhē place names stand as a memorial to this sad journey. The most well-known is Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē (the long beach of Tōhē), also called Ninety Mile Beach.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/Muriwhenu...