PUKEONE / MOUNT CAMPBELL Pukeone has been a part of the lives of Ngāti Rārua since their arrival in Tasman Bay. A sacred ances tor; Pukeone provides Ngāti Rārua with an historical and spiritual link to the natural world. It has a life-force or mauri of its own, and this life force binds the spiritual world with the physical world and connects this maunga to the people of the land. Through this life force, Ngāti Rārua iwi are connected to Pukeon e. Traditionally, Pukeone was used as a boundary marker for Motueka iwi. It was also a strategic landmark from which iwi would signal to each other across the rohe. The fires burning on top of Pukeone could be seen as far as Whakapuaka. Pre-European colonisation, the signalling related mostly to war, or the threat of war. But later, fires signalled other important events such as hui at marae across the rohe. A fire was lit on Pukeone followin g Wakefield’s acceptance of Nelson as a settlement site. The remnants of these huge fires can still be found on top of Pukeone in the form of charcoal remains. Pukeone provides Ngāti Rārua with a sense of belonging to the rohe and this maunga is central to the liv es of whānau living in the Tasman Bay. For Ngāti Rārua this is particularly important as Pukeone stands as a sentinel above the numerous customary sites that define the cultural association of Ngāti Rārua with Motuek a. MAUNGATAPU Maungatapu reigns above the eastern side of Tasman Bay. As the name suggests, Maungatapu is a sacred mountain. It is a wāhi tapu of great significan ce to Ngāti R ārua. Through their ancestral and spiritual links t o the natural world, Ngā ti Rārua are connected with the mauri of Maungatapu, the life force that binds the spiritual world with the physical world. Maungatapu has been important to the identity and lives of Ngāti Rārua for generations. Beneath th is maunga’s gaze, whānau lived , cu ltivated land, collected resources and harvested food. Maungatapu also stands at the head of the Mahitahi River which is a culturally sign ificant awa for Ngāti Rārua, bringing the waters from Maungatapu through the whenua and out to sea. Traditionally, Maungatapu and the surrounding lands (50 hectares) were rich in manu and rongoā. These resources were used to sustain their tūpuna wellbeing. Hence, the significance of Maungatapu is recognised in the pepeha of Ngāti Rāru a - “Ko Maungatapu te maunga, Ko Ngāti Rārua te iwi.” Maungatapu stands within the Maungatapu District and is linked to the legend of Ngahue and Poutini. 4 These stories are significant as they illustrate that from the very earliest times, tribes from all over the country knew about the precious resources to be found in the area. Ngahue was the atua (guardian) of pounamu (greenstone). He and his taniwha Poutini were the guardians of this taonga. A dispute between Ngahue and his adversary Hine-tū-ahoanga entangled their taniwha; Poutini was driven out of Hawaiki by Whatipu (the taniwha of Hine-tū-ahoanga) and pursued to different places around New Zealand. One of the places Poutini found temporary refuge was Maungatapu, which is in the Whangamoa, the range of hills between Nelson and Pelorus. This refuge is where pakohe (grey/black argillite) can be found along the Nelson Mineral Belt, which extends from Rangitoto, through the Whangamoa ridges and the Mahitahi Valley to the eastern headwaters of the Motueka Pakohe. Pakohe was traditionally a highly valued taonga for Ngāti Rārua. It is a mineral of great hardness and strength, which could be manufactured into tools and weapons, such as adzes. The tools fashioned from this taonga were used to collect and prepare kai, and other natural materials gathered from the land and sea. Archaeological finds, relating to argillite, tell a story of how this relationship developed over time. Of great significance 4The oral traditions refer specifically to areas within the Maungatapu District and the headwaters of the Maitahi River, which flows from Maungatapu . See H & J Mitchell A history of Nelson and Marlborough Volume 1: Te Tangata me Te Whenua (2004:22,23 & 54, 55) Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 72 of 163