Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui and Ngāti Hinetuhi have an extre mely close association with Tītī Island. Our role as kaitiaki of this area is extremely important to the tribe as a whole. Te Āt iawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui has mana, whakapapa and history here and we have tikanga which involves tapu and noa in this place. Te Ā tiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui has considerable knowledge of this area. Over time we hav e developed appropriate tikanga to ensure the sustainable utilisation of Tītī Island’s wealth, including for gathering kai and the other various resources of the motu and surrounding moana. HURA (ON ARAPAOA ISLAND) Te Hura is immensely significant to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui and a highly treasured taonga. Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui tūpuna had considerable knowledge of whakapapa, traditional trails, places for gathering kai and other taonga, and other ways in which to use the resources of Te Hura. For Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui, the coastal and marine resources (kaimoana) along Te Hura are regarded as treasures from the sea (Tangaroa). The Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui chief, Hura, occupied this area, and in the 1840s he was buried in the Tamarewa area, hence why the cliffs of Arapaoa Island facing onto Te Moana te Raukawakawa (Cook Strait) are called the ‘Hura ’. Te Hura encompasses the whenua along the back of Arapaoa, which curves into Te Moana te Raukawakawa. Most of the coastline in this area is cliff face with only very small pockets that could be used for shelter. Because of the location of Te Hura in Te Moana te Rauakawakawa, Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui established strategic sentinel sites along the hilltops and tauranga waka sites on the shorelines, and the many caverns had various usages. The coastal area was visited and occupied by many other iwi who through conflict and alliance have merged in the whakapapa (genealogy) of the area. However, Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui has maintained mana, whakapapa and history in this area. Te Hura is an integral part of a network of trails on Arapaoa which were used in order to ensure the safest journey, and incorporated locations along the way that were identified for activities including camping overnight and gathering kai. Knowledge of these trails continues to be held by whānau and hapū and is regarded as a taonga. Thera ditional t mobile lifestyle of Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui led to their dependence o n the resources of Te Hura. There are a number urupā and wāhi tapu in Te Hura and many remain known only to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui whānau of the area. Urupā are the resting places of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui tūpuna and, as such, are the focus for whānau traditions. Urupā and wāhi tapu are places holding the memories, traditions and victories of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui tūpuna. They are frequently protected by secret location s. The mauri of Te Hura represents the essence that binds the physical and spiritual elements of all things together, generating and upholding all life. All elements of the natural environment possess a life force and all forms of are related. Mauri is a critical element of the spiritual relationship of Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māu i with Te Hura. Often when Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui waka crossed the Strait from the North Island, the crews had to wait for the seas to calm before they could round Cape Koamaru. While they were waiting they would go to Te Hura and haul their waka ashore. To protect them from the crashing seas they stood them on end and sheltered them, always between the same special rocks. According to Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui, strangers crossing from the North Island to Cape Koamaru had to be blindfolded so that they would not see the Brothers Islets (Ngā Whatu Kaipono) or ‘pupils of the eye’. On arrival by Tawhaimoa, the blindfolded Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 136 of 163