The Wairarapa is a large and bountiful region with a long and complex history. Maori oral tradition tells us the area is a part of the huge fish ‘Te Ika a Maui’, hooked and caught by Maui – a Polynesian tupua (super hero). The fish is the North Island of New Zealand. Te Karu o Te Ika a Maui, the eye of the fish, is Lake Wairarapa (Wairarapa Moana) and its mouth, Te Waha o Te Ika a Maui, is Palliser Bay.
History book 01 Origins and early occupation in the Wairarapa
Rangitāne people have lived continuously in the Wairarapa region for 28 generations or some 7-800 years. Beginning with founding ancestors Kupe and Whatonga, they and their descendants have built up …
History book 02 Tupuna
Rangitāne people have lived continuously in the Wairarapa region for 28 generations or some 7-800 years. This book profiles a selection of significant Rangitāne tupuna, some of whom lived hundreds …
History book 03 Ngāti Hāmua
Rangitāne people have lived continuously in the Wairarapa region for 28 generations or some 7-800 years. Ngāti Hāmua is the paramount hapū of the Rangitāne o Wairarapa iwi. Inside this …
History book 04 Te Tapere Nui o Whatonga
Rangitāne people have lived continuously in the Wairarapa region for 28 generations or some 7-800 years. Captain of the ancestral Kurahaupo waka – Whatonga discovered and named the great forest …
History Education Sheets
This education resource provides the reader with information about the pre 1950 history of the Ngäti Hämua hapü of the Rangitäne o Wairarapa iwi. It follows on from the Ngati …
Wairarapa history
The following articles were written by Gareth Winter Wairarapa Archivist. Each article contributes to a body of work that highlights aspects of Wairarapa history. The series features on the Masterton District Library website.