below. Traditionally, the Tākaka Hill was also regarded as a supernatural place and was greatly respected and feared. The coastline stretching from Puketawai northwards was believed t o be home of the Patu-paiarehe, or fairy folk and kehua (ghosts). Te Ātiawa o Te Wak a-a-Māui particularly feared the limestone rocks and bluffs at Puketawai as some had t he appearance of skulls. Oral traditions identify the Riuwaka River mouth as the resting place of Hui Te Rangiora, an explorer who travelled to the shores of New Zealand before the waves of Polynesian migration. It is recounted that Hui Te Rangiora stopped to repair his waka and heal himself with the sacred waters of the Riuwaka River. This tradition is depicted in the carving at the top of the meeting house at Te Awhina Marae. The whare tupuna called Turangapeke has a tekoteko of Hui Te Rangiora looki ng out for land. At the entrance to the source of the Riuwaka, a carved waharoa repre sents Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui on the left, Ngāti Rārua on the right and Hui Te Rangiora at its apex. The Riuwaka River cannot be separated from the Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui Pā site, Puketawai, a low hill located at the mouth of the Riuwaka River within Tapu Bay, as both are intertwined. Puketawai, also known as Pā Hill or Pā Point, is culturally significant. A former harbour, pā site and kāinga, it is a wāhi tapu associated with the Riuwaka River. Ta mati Parana, a revered tohunga, lived at the northern end of Tapu Bay at a site close to the tapu Riuwaka River. As a tohunga, he placed his tūāhu (altar) near to the Riuwaka River in order to be close to the source of his medicine: the white healing stones w ithin its waters. These stones also continue to be of great cultural significance to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui for healing purposes. In the early 1800s, the main concentration of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui settlement was located around the Riuwaka River, with two kāinga situated below the main Pā at Puketwai. On the south side of Puketawai was a lagoon fed by the Riuwaka River catchment where a number of waka of different sizes could land. Merenako, a Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui kuia, explored the Riuwaka Valley in early 1830s. She began her journey at Puketawai and followed the hillside up the Riuwaka valley up to the area now named Dehra Doon. The Riuwaka swamp extended over a large part of the valley and this made her journey difficult and her knees tired. Riuwaka was originally called Turi Auraki because of this event. Traditionally, the Riuwaka River catchment was an abundant food basket with diverse ecosystems and species associated with those habitats. The estuary area, where the Riuw aka River flows into the sea, was rich in pipi, tuangi (cockles), tio (oyster), titiko (m ud snails) and other shellfish. Pātiki (flounder), kanae (mullet) and kawhai were plentiful, but tāmure (snapper) dominate the middens in the area. The lowland forest along the River’s edge consisted of many species that provided building materials and rongoā for the tūpuna living there. Matai, totara and rimu were used for building and carving. Karaka seeds were soaked and steamed in an umu to remove toxins before being dried and ground to make flour for cakes. Tawa berries could be eaten a nd titoki was highly valued for its oil. Cabbage trees provided a source of sugar. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui had hectares of gardens in the Riuwaka. The main crop was probably kum ara, but gourd, taro and yam were also grown. The Riuwaka River catchment is steeped in history, and the wāhi tapu and taonga associated with this sacred awa are numerous. Wāhi tapu and taonga link present day whānau with our tūpuna. The cultural identity and spiritual wellbeing of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui is intertwined with this awa and the associated resources. The kaitiaki role Te Ātiawa o Te Waka- a-Māui has over the Riuwaka is a continuous responsibility passed down from our tūpuna to take particular care of this awa, the natural resource s found there, and its tangible and intangible taonga. It is an obligation on hapū and whānau associated with the land to look after and protect the physical and spiritual wellbeing of all treasured resources, places and sites of significance upon, inside, under and above Riuwaka. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 130 of 163