The maunga Manininaro (Angelus Peak) and Lake Angelus (Rotomaninitua) are markers and resting pla ces on the pathway of decea sed Ngāti A pa as they make their journey to the West Coast and Te Tai Tapu to Te One Tahua, Te Reinga and ultimately Hawaiki. For Ngāti Apa, traditions and stories such as these reinforce tribal identity and solidarity as well as denoting the continuity that exists across generations of Ngāti Apa. These traditions record places and events that have shaped Ngāti Apa as an iwi over many generations. Rotopōhueroa / Lake Constance Ngāti Ap a’s relationship with its whenua and wai is integral to its identity as a people. The alpine tarns and lakes located within the Nelson Lakes National Park symbolise for Ngāti Apa peopl e the intense nature of their relationship to their environment, and the mauri or life force that is contained in all parts of the natural environment and binds the spiritual and physical world. The tarns and lakes were discovered and named by Ngāti Apa tupuna. They reflect the importance and purity of water as a taonga that helps link past, present and future generations; in doing so they provide a path to the hereafter. For Ngāti Apa these tarns and lakes are also markers on a series of interwoven trails discovered and used by Ngāti Apa over many centuries as they travelled from one part of their rohe to another . Ngāti Apa tupu na were steeped in kn owledge of whakapapa, traditional trails and taonga, and placed great importance on the tapu nature of these tarns and lakes and their role in signifying, asserting and sustaining Ngāti Apa identit y. Rotopōhueroa o r ‘the long calabash’ was traditionally used for the hauhunga (bone cleansing) ceremonies involving deceased females. The cleansed bones were later deposited in Te Kai ki o Maruia (the Sabine Valley). Rotopōhueroa drains into adjacent Rotomairewhenua by means of an underground river, and so symbolises the interconnectedness of all things. The name ‘Rotopōhueroa’ evokes the calabash as a receptacle for the placenta (whenua), giving Rotopōhueroa further significance within Ngāti Apa cosmology and beliefs. In Ngāti Apa tradition, once the bones had be en washed, the spirits were released and they would journey from Rotopōhueroa along the West Coast and Te Tai Tapu (the sacred pathway) to Te One Tahua (Farewell Spit), Te Reinga and ultimately Hawaiki. For Ngāti Apa , traditions and stories such as these reinforce tribal identity and solidarity as well as denoting the continuity that exists across generations of Ngāti Apa. These traditions record places and events that have shaped Ngāti Apa as an iwi over many generations. Statement of Coastal Values Ngāti Ap a’s association with the coastal marine area is an integral part of their rohe in Te Tau Ihu. Areas of particular cultural significance include Kahurangi, Paturau, the Whanganui Inlet, the area adjoining Te One Tahua, Pūponga, Pakawau, Parapara, Te Matau, Te Tai Aorere Tasman Bay, Whakatū, Waimea, Tarakaipa Island, the area around Ngā Whatu Kai Ponu and Te Anamāhang a. Occupation of pā, kainga and fishing stations in the outer Sounds, Te Tai Aorere and Whakatū areas were shared with Ngāti Kuia and Rangitane. Coastal fisheries and other resources were controlled and managed by the various Ngāti Apa hapū, who exercised a kaitiaki role NgātiApa iwi have strong and unbroen traditi o onal,histrical , c ulturaland . k spiritual associations with this long coastline and its rich ecosystems. These associations remain today, and are central to identity and mauri of the iwi. A large complex of pā, cultivations and fishing areas were located at river mouths all along the coastal margin. Seals, which were once common along much of the coast, formed a valuable resource. Ngāti Ap a riv er-mouth settlements also provided access to inland settlements and mahinga kai areas, including the Nelson Lakes. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 17 of 163