HISTORY

Our lands at Mataikotare marae border the shores of Lake Rotorua and the cool waters of the Wai-o-hewa stream, our lake foreshore extends from the stately Kahikatea bush along towards Mourea and our traditional boundary then crosses over Lake Rotorua to the highest point on Mokoia Island.

Dr Don Stafford’s history of Te Arawa records the Rangiteaorere history this way.

Rangiteaorere, the eponymous ancestor of Ngati Rangiteaorere descends seven generations from Tamatekapua of Te Arawa waka, one of the many waka that arrived in Aotearoa in the year 1350AD.

TAMATEKAPUA
     KAHUMATAMOMOE     
          TAWAKEMOETAHANGA
               UENUKUMAIRAROTONGA 
                    RANGITIHI
                         RANGIWHAKAEKEAU
                              RANGITEAORERE

Rangitihi, the great warrior chief of Te Arawa took to wife, three sisters of Tapuika, whose first eldest child was Kahukare. She gave birth to Rangiwhakaekeau, who was her first born and as such is the senior member of the “eight heart beats of Te Arawa, nga pumanawa e waru o Te Arawa”.

Rangiwhakaekeau’s most celebrated affair was with the beautiful and guarded Uenukurauiri, the sister of Tuhoe Potiki who founded the tribe Tuhoe. This came about through visits by Rangiwhakaekeau to the pa - Puketapu - on a hill near the Rangitaiki river at Te Teko. As a consequence of that liaison, a child was later conceived. When the day came for him to return to Rotorua, Uenukurauiri was sad and told Rangiwhakaekeau that she was with child.

Rangiwhakaekeau told her, "Ka whanau tö tamaiti he wahine, tapaia ki te au o Rangitaiki. E whanau he tane, tapaia ko te ao e rere nei". (If our child is born a female, call her after the current in the Rangitaiki river. If it is a boy call him after the drifting clouds"). He then returned to Rotorua where his whanau lived at Rangiwhakakapua Pa in Okawa Bay on the shores of Lake Rotoiti.

When Uenukurauiri went into labour, the tohungas gathered around to ease the birth. Finally, when the mother was about to die in labour she told the tohunga to include the whakapapa of Rangiwhakaekeau. Almost at once the child was born.

He grew up with his mothers’ people and as a young chief was trained in the skills of warriorship by his uncle Tuhoe Potiki in Te Urewera. He grew up to be a very fine lad and came to be known as a warrior of great renown, on many occasions joining on their war parties, on every occasion, distinguishing himself.

The time had come for Rangiteaorere to seek out his father and claim his birthright. His mother told that his father lived at a place on the edge of Lake Rotorua called Rangiwhakakapua (by Okawa Bay). He set out with a party of warriors and travelled to Tikitere and then to the pa of Rangiwhakaekeau. Rangiteaorere entered the pa but not through the normal way. He went at once to the house of his father and sat on his pillow. This was considered an insult to persons of high rank. When news got to Rangiwhakaekeau he was furious. He rushed to his house determined to put paid to this arrogant newcomer. On arrival however, he heard the person inside singing part of a lullaby. At once Rangiwhakaekeau recognized the song and that it referred to his own child. Immediately his anger subsided and he welcomed his son to his village.

            E tama – e !
            Naku koe I kimi
            Naku koe I rangahau
            Ki te po-uriuri
            Ki te po-tangotango.
            Hohoro te ki mai Uenuku-rauiri,
            ki te puta he wahine
            tapaia ki te au e rere nei
            ki te puta he tane
            tapaia ki te ao o te rangi e tu nei
            I tokona e to tipuna,
            E Tane-whirinaki ki runga ra
            Koia te rangi puatea – e – i

Over the years, his leadership during the capture of "Mokoia Island" was his finest. Rangiteaorere assembled all the warriors on the marae to practice their weaponry. The strategy he used to attack the people on the island was to use a buoyed stake driven in to the lake bed the previous night. By using a very strong rope to pull themselves in quickly, the waka flew pass the enemy who had waded out in shallow waters to upset the waka. Once on shore, they quickly defeated the enemy in the water. 

After this battle Rangiteaorere, his father Rangiwhakaekeau and a small party went to Tauranga to try and make amends with a whanau for the slaying of one of their people. They were welcomed in to the village and shown into a large house. Once inside Rangiteaorere noticed that the people had surrounded the house and before he could do anything the door was locked and the house set on fire. Fortunately Rangiteaorere was able to crawl through a window under cover of the thick smoke without being seen. He went into the bush and later returned to try and find his father. He returned only to find his father had been killed. Later that night, Rangiteaorere avenged his fathers’ death by setting fire to large a whare and killing all those inside.  

He returned to Mokoia island for a while before he took to the slopes of Mt Ngongotaha fearing reprisals from Uenukukopako for the death of his two sons. The expected attack did not come and for some time Rangiteaorere remained there. He later decided that he would like to go to Te Ngae because of the bountiful kahika berries and other foods abundant there. He set out in his waka across the lake. On the way across he was seen by descendants of Uenukukopako who set out from Mokoia in pursuit.  In the leading waka was Rangiteaorere’s grandson, Tutenui who sought to protect his elderly grandfather. Tutenui was at the bow of the waka, and as they drew closer he threw his cloak over his grandfathers’ shoulders which resulted in saving him from certain death. 

Rangiteaorere returned to his pa at Tikitere where the descendants of Rangiteaorere 500 years later still remain to this day occupying the lands still known as Tikitere, Te Ngae and the Whakapoungakau land blocks.