Everyone had different tasks. Some would go fishing, while others would collect shellfish, snare birds or collect plant materials from around the estuary and associated lowland forests. Whānau and extended whānau gatherings occurred frequently, depending on seasonal resources available for harvest from land and sea. Each season brought different resources to fruition for harvest. These harvests were an opportunity to renew social and familial ties, but large numbers were also needed to carry out the jobs associated with the harvest. For example, many hands were needed to deal with the catches, to ensure they were safely preserved for long-term consumption. Almost every type of kai Māori nō te moan a could be found within this mahinga kai. A natural wonder, with a thriving estuary and marine life, Whanganui Inlet is home to a huge number of mātaitai (shellfish), pāpaka (crabs) and other invertebrates. In the mud and sand, tūpuna collected tuangi (cockles), pipi, tuatua, pūpū, kūtai (mussels) and tio (rock oy sters); from the rivers and streams īnanga, tuna and kokopū were harvested. Around thirty fish species use the Inlet at some stage in their lives and in the breeding seasons, the waters can be seen literally ‘boiling’ with shoaling fish including tāmure (sn apper), kanae (mullet ), herrings, pātiki (flounder) and sole, ma ngo (sharks), kahawai, southern mackerel, koiro (conger eels), piharau (blind eels) and warehou. The estuary also provides food and shelter for an array of wading birds including the godwit, oystercatcher and the banded rail. Saltmarsh communities fringe the shoreline and eelgrass beds dominate the tidal flats. Dunes, cliffs, islands and underwater reefs contribute to the huge range of habitats and species found within Whanganui Inlet. Much of the Inle t is still bordered by coastal forest including pukatea, rātā, kahikatea, beech, rimu and nikau palm. Land based resources were also gathered, harvested or qu arried on traditional whānau trips. Plants were harvested for weaving, such as aka (supple jack) were harvested for crayfish pots, hinaki for eeling and for other weavings. The swamps provided thousands of hectares of tough harakeke for whāriki (mats), especially at Rākopi and near Mangarākau. Kiekie fruits were a delicacy, a s were hinau berries and other fruit trees. Long, straight stands of hinau and lance-wood provided exceptionally strong shafts for fishing spears, spars and poles. Whanganui Inlet/Te Tai Tapu is steeped in history. There are numerous wāhi tapu associated with this abundant food basket, linking present day Ngāti Rārua hāpu and whānau physically and emotionally with their tūpuna . The cultural identity of Ngāti Rārua is therefor e intertwined with Whanganui Inlet and the maintenance of associated customs and traditions is paramount to iwi wellbeing. LAKE ROTOITI AND LAKE ROTOROA, NELSON LAKES NATIONAL PARK The origins of Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa are linked to the tradition of Rākaihautū, of the Uruao canoe, which arrived in the South Island from Hawaiki around AD 850. After his arrival at Nelson Haven, Rākaihautū set out overland to e xplore the South Island. Inland from Wha katū, he used his magic kō Tū Whakar ōria to dig three trenches and filled them with water. These were at Rotoiti, Rotoroa and Rangatahi (now known as Lake Tennyson). Oral traditions tell of early ocean voyages from Te Tau Ihu to Te Tai Poutini by waka. However, the inland routes via Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa also became important trails to and from Te Tai Poutini for pounamu and other resources. The routes into the hinterlands formed the basis for both economic and social relationships of iwi living in Te Tau Ihu. Waka were used to negotiate the waterways and cross the lakes. Traditional tauranga waka (landing sites) on the associated rivers and around Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa are therefore plentiful. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 70 of 163