the area around the Brothers Islands, Port Gore, Tōtaranui, Arapaoa Island, White Bluffs and Cook Strait. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui established many permanent settlements, including pā (fortified settlements), kāinga, fishing stations and nohoanga in many areas on the coastline throughout Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka-a- Maui. Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Mā ui have strong and unbroken traditional, historical, cultural and spiritual associations with this long coastline and the associated sea areas with rich ecosystems. These associations remain today and are central to the identity and mauri of our iwi. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui have associations along the West Coast gathering kaimoana, customary harvesting from the forests, the rivers and the coast, and Poharamu Hotu who resided at Kararoa and whanaunga of Wiremu Kingi Te Koihua lived at various West Coast kāinga. On the East Coast, Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māu i often gathered ducks and eels from Kaparatehau, and customary fished these waters ways. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui also has an important association with the migratory seabird, the tītī. Young tītī were caught by Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui as an annual delicacy. When the fledglings are harvested from the burrows the tītī are fat with the oils of the fish eaten and regurgitated by their parents. The parent birds come home every night having eaten pilchards, shrimps, sprats and small squid, and the young birds go bble down their oily dinner and quickly grow very fat. Generations of Te Ātia wa o Te Waka-a-Māui whā nau have made th e annual pilgrimage to the islands to harvest tītī by reaching down into the bird’s underground burro w. In the old days, tītī were often preserved in poha. Inside the poha is a waterproof bag made of bull kelp. The birds were cooked and then placed in the bag in their own cooked fat (a process known as tahu). Air pockets were squeezed out by hand to create a vacuum seal that kept the food fresh for two to three years. The inner kelp bag was protected by an outer wrapping of harakeke (flax), tied together with the bark of the totara tree. Mōhua Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui ventured within Kahurangi and travelled along its coastline in search of pounamu. Kahurangi is geologically complex – most of it is sedimentary rock laid down on an ancient sea-bed then faulted, uplifted and scoured by glaciers. Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui knew the area well, including the dangers of limestone caves, bluffs and sinkholes. The coastline had Nikau palms and inland from the coast lush Podocarp forest with ferns and vines reaching to the Beech forests. Along the coastline there are many species of birds, including the now endangered rock Wren and the spotted Kiwi. There are twenty different species of carnivorous land snail (Powelliphanta) in Kahurangi, which feed on native worms. The Powelliphanta is taonga of great importance to Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui. After skirmishes with Te Tai Poutini, Te Ātiawa o Te Waka -a-Māui whānau frequently moved along the coastline keeping a watchful eye on the territory and to protect their patch, often staying for a time at the Arahura River mouth settlement for the pounamu, and also at Ka raroa before returning back t o Mōhua. Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui kept vigil along the West Coast waiting for the migration of the sperm whale. Seals, once common along much of the coast, formed a valuable resource. Large complexes of pā, cultivations and fishing areas were located at river mouths all along the coastal margins although many were seasonal. The river mouth settlements also provided Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui with access to inland settlements and mahinga kai areas, including the Nelson Lakes. Another method of travelling down the West Coast was via the Mawhera River, or by the Buller River and the Lakes. The Paturau, Anatori and Turimawiwi are all volatile rivers which dissect the land and flow into the Tasman Sea. In the past, Te Ātiawa o Te Wa ka-a-Māui would use boulde rs Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 139 of 163