The lagoons were rich eeling and birding grounds of inestimable importance. According to Rangitāne tradition, Te Huataki, leader of the Rangitāne people who settled the Wairau in the seventeenth century, was drawn to the area because of the rich resources of the lagoons. The lagoons were known as Wahanga-a-Tangaroa and Mataora (the ‘Long Lagoon’ and the ‘Big Lagoon’ respectively). Extensive modification of the natural waterways was subsequently carried out by Ran gitāne from the mid-1700s. They created massive artificial channels (the total length of which are around 26km) and ponds for trappin birds, fish and eels. The g canals averag e about 3 metres in width and up t o a metre deep, though some on Budges Isla nd are 15 metres wide. It is estimat ed that approximately 60,000 cubic yards of s oil were excavated using the traditional ko, or wooden digging implement . This wa s one of the great engineering feats of the pre-contact period, and confirms that a larg e population inhabited the area. This wo rk was begun under the direction of the Ran gitāne rangatira Pat iti and Te Whatakoiro, and completed by the succeeding generation under Tama Ngenge, Te Whatakoiros son. Many of the canals and ponds ’ were named for the tupuna particularly associated with them, including Morepo and Tukanae. The soil was removed and placed in a hand-cart or stretcher, which was lifted and carried away. At regular intervals the canal banks had buttresses projecting into the channel so as to narrow the waterway. At these narrowed gaps eel traps and nets were fixed. Close to the buttresses were sands pits, into which the catch was emptied. Wildfowl (ducks and swans) were also captured in the lagoons during the moulting season (January to May), when the birds were unable to fly. Moulting ducks were known as maumi. The birds were potted in their own fat in calabashes or containers made from totara bark or kelp obtained from Te Pokohiwi (‘Kupe’s Elbow’, also known as the Boulder Bank). Some preserved birds were kept for local consumption, and some were traded with other iwi. Strict rahui and conservation protocols were placed on the lagoons in order to preserve the various marine and bird species. The lagoons have remained an important source of mahinga kai for Rangitāne up to recent times. Two major Rangitāne occupation areas were located within th e lagoons' complex - one on Budge’s Island and the other in the ‘fryin g pan’ area between Chandlers Lagoon and ’ the Big Lagoon. Mor epo, an islan d in the lagoon, contains an urupā which is the burial place of the Rangi tāne tupuna from whom the island takes its name. A number of other pā (with associa ted urupā) a nd kainga were built in and around the lagoons to protect the valuable resources of the area. A series of pā were located on Te Pokohiwi (the Boulder Bank) which enclose the lagoons on their seaward side. The first of these, named Moua, was located at the northern end of Te Pokohiwi on what is known as the Wairau Bar. Another pā a little to the south was named Te Aropipi. The next was located a mile to the south, and was known as Te Pokohiwi. This was the main pā on the Boulder Bank. The fourth pā and urupā, known as Motueka, was on an island in the lagoons . The tupuna Purama was buried at this place . Two further pā, Utawai and Mokinui, were located at the southern end of the lagoons. Mokinui was a resi d ence of Te Huat aki, who led the first Rangitāne migrations to Te Tau Ihu. Another pā named Te Tau manu-o-Matahoura (named after the waka in which Kupe travelled to Aotearoa) was located at Te Parinui-o-Whiti (White Bluffs). This was a residence of Te Hau, a legendary Rangitāne tupuna. Near the pā is a rock formation resembling part of Kupe’s waka, Te Taumanu-o-Matahoura. The whole of Te Pokohiwi, especially its northern part (the Wairau Bar), was highly suitable for a fowling and fishing economy. It gave access to the sea and ample quantities of firewood. Whitebait was present, and kahawai ran seasonally into the river and lagoon. Eels, flounder, shellfish, swans and ducks (grey and paradise) also abounded. Rock formations running out to sea near Te Pokohi wi pā were a good source of mussels and were greatly valued by Rangitāne . These were used well into the twentieth century. Large numbers of moa were also hunted by the very early inhabitants. One theory is that the birds were rounded up in the Wairau plain or driven down from the Vernon Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 46 of 163