from his arm to his leg. It was following this incident that Whakatuu became a tapu area and, in the nineteenth century was not settled by Maori, but by the Pakeha. Not all sections of the Maitai River were affected by the rahui imposed by Te Rauparaha, and the river was an important mahinga kai. Ngati Toa Rangatira had settlements in the surrounding region at Whakatu, Whakapuaka and Waimea, which utilised the eel resource of the river. Other pa in the area were the Bishop Peninsula Pa, the Ataata Point Pa and the Maori Beach Pa. The Maitai River was historically a source of argillite, a highly valuable and useful rock used for toki (adzes) and working tools. Wairau River, Omaka River, Ōpaoa River, and Kaituna River and their tributaries The Wairau River is of cultural, historical, spiritual and traditional significance to Ngati Toa Rangatira. Ngati Toa Rangatira have a longstanding association with the Wairau River as the Wairau and Cloudy Bay have been important areas of Ngati Toa Rangatira settlement since the 1830s. The Wairau was first conquered by Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata in 1827; the chiefs led a taua into Te Tau Ihu in retaliation for an insult given by a chief who resided at the Wairau. According to sources, the chief had stated that Te Rauparaha was very brave and that he would like to crush his skull with a ‘tukituki patu aruhe’ (a fernroot pounder). Following the initial fighting, there was no immediate settlement as the taua continued on a campaign across further lands of Te Tau Ihu. At the end of the fighting, Ta Rauparaha assigned land to various hapu and the Wairau was one region which he retained for Ngati Toa Rangatira. It was at this time that Ngati Toa Rangatira began their more intensive settlement of the area, and by 1840 400 ’Ngati Toa Rangatira’ were recorded as being settled in the Wairau. A large stockade was constructed by Te Rauparaha at the mouth of the Wairau River. According to a source in 1843, the pa was formerly very substantial; by that time the condition of the pa had begun to deteriorate. A description of the pa at 1843 gives an indication of its former size: the pa consisted of a very fine but somewhat dilapidated stockade, three-quarters of an acre of ground and a few broken and deserted whares. The posts of the stockade which were about six or eight feet apart stood from 15 to 20 feet high and upwards out of the ground. They posts were very stout and required great labour to erect. The intervals between these large posts was supplejack, whereas the posts themselves were manuka which must have been transported from a considerable distance. The Wairau River, being a largely braided river, made the lands of the Wairau plains particularly suitable for occupation. The waterways of the Wairau provided Ngati Toa Rangatira with plentiful resources such as eel, koura, cockles, kahawai and the giant kokopu. The smaller tributaries fed into the swamp land of the lower plains of the Wairau, providing Ngati Toa Rangatira with abundant supply of wetland flora and fauna such as flax, swamp maire and kahikatea. Currently, the river, lagoons and wetlands are home to 90 species of wetland bird, 22 of New Zealand’s 42 native fish species and a number of threatened wetland plants. The resources of the Wairau River and Lagoon, combined with the resources of the sea made the Wairau plains a particularly hospitable environment. This is evidenced by the great number of wahi tapu and other sites of significance located in the region. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 150 of 163