necessary silicates was dried and ground, then mixed with fish or whale oil or a substance obtained from pitoko seeds to create ochre of high quality. Ochre was used as personal decoration and to decorate and protect waka and carvings. Nearby Parapara Inlet contained a pā, kainga and fishing station. Parapara was also home to the celebrated taniwha Kai Whaka ruaki, who was ultimately was destroyed by Ngāti Apa warriors assisted by other southern iwi. Other pā sites were Puramahoi, Taupo Point and Pungar au-Whiti. Patuarau, at the mouth of the river of the same name, was another kainga, cultivation site and fishing station. Another pā site wa s located at Toropuhi, south of Big Bay. Weka was the chief of this place at the time of the northern invasions. Ngāti Apa people continued to occupy Te Tai Tapu until title was determined by 1883. Ngāti Apa rangatira M eihana Kereopa stated that his ancestors had lived at Te Tai Tapu. He claimed ‘through ancestry and claimed the whole’. Ngāti Apa people continued to harvest food and other resources from Te Tai Tapu. The descendants of the original Ngāti Apa occupiers of the land still possess strong spiritual links with the area and continue to regard the coastal waters of Te Tai Patu and Golden Bay as one of their most important kai moana and resource areas. Ngāti Apa believe that the spirits of their deceased ancest ors travel along the coastline and mountains of Te Tai Tapu to Te One Tahua (Farewell Spit) on their journey to Hawaiki. WAIMEA, WAI-ITI, AND WAIROA RIVERS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES Ngāti Apa’ s relationship with its whenua and wai is integral to its identity as a people. The W amea River is a symbol for Ngāti Apa people of the intense nature of their relationship to their environment, the mauri or life force that is contained in all parts of the natural environment and that binds the spiritual and physical world. Ngāti Apa tupuna had considerable knowledge of places for gathering kai and other taonga, and ways in which to use the resources of the awa and tikanga in a pro per and sustainab le way. Ngāti Apa valued Te Waimea as an important source of mah kai. inga Its pure water was abundant in fish such as mako and patiki in the estuarine waters at the mouth of the river, as well as kokopu, inanga, kahawai, kekewai and koura, and a rich source of birds such as kaka, kereru and koko (bellbird). The river environs were also a good source of flax, and clay used in the process of drying the flax came from the river near the inland foothills of the ranges. The Waimea River also formed a water source for the renowned Waimea gardens, located a t the mouth of the Waimea River adjacent to a pā and kainga complex. S maller ’satellite ’pā were located elsewhere on th e banks of the river and at the junction of th e Wairoa and Wai- iti rivers. This was a site of great significance to Ngāti Apa and the other Kurahau pō iwi. Around 1,000 acres of cultivation located near the river mouth represent generations of sustained effort by the tupuna. The cultivation land was built up with ash (to provide potash and lime), gravel and fine sand and silt to raise soil temperatures. This is sometimes referred to as “Maori soil”. It was highly suitable for kumara production. The modified soil remains darker and more productive than surrounding soil to this day. Huge pits nearby reveal the source of gravel. The extent of these gardens and the effort involved in creating them indicates that the area was once occupied by a substantial population. Early chiefs of this place were Te Hapuku and Te Pipiha. The latter was killed here during the northern invasions. Other tupuna associated with Waimea were Titiko and Whakatapihi. After the northern invasions many t upuna from the pā moved to another pā in what late r became known as Budges Bush, in the Wairoa River Valley on the north slope of Mount Heslington. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 13 of 163