The Waimeha was the gateway to the trading route between Whakatū (Nelson) and Te Tai Poutini (West Coast). Goods were often exchanged between the Waimeha/ Whakatū iwi and Te Tai Poutini tribes. The Waimeha iwi offered kūmara, dried tāmure and pakohe tools, valuable taonga not obtainable on the Coast. The West Coast tribes offered raw and worked pounamu. Ngāti Rārua houses were located at the mouth of the Waimeha River. This area provided tūpuna with a plentiful supply of harakeke of which four varieties of harakeke could be found. The fine, long-fibred variety was suitable for net making. A coarser long-fibred type wa s suitable for ropes and cords, an intermediate type for kete, and a finer short-fibre v ariety for more delicate work, such as kākahu (cloaks) and tāniko (borders and ot her decorative work). MOTUEKA RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES The Motueka River is central to the lives of Ngāti Rārua whānau. In the early 1830s, a series of heke arrived in Motueka. The Ngāti Rārua rangatira were Niho, Takarei te Whareaitu, Te Aupōuri, Te Iti, Panakenake, Te Poa Kāroro, Pukekōhatu and Rotopuhi. Pukekōhatu, Te Poa Kāroro Tūrangapeke and other Ngāti Rārua settled in the Motueka and Riuwaka river catchments. Pukekōhatu came to Te Maatu to cultivate the land, however he encountered opposition from Te Poa Kāroro. Pukekōhatu personified himself with the Motueka River, stating that its source was his head and its mouth, his feet. In doing so, he intended to render the land to the sou th of the river tapu, and p revent occupation of the land. Te Poa Kāroro was not deterred by the rāhui and threatened to cook any persons occupying Te Maatu in his oven. However, the land lay unoccupied, until Pukekōhatu lifted the tapu, after he resolved to settle primarily at Karauripe and Wairau. For the original Ngāti Rārua families, the Motueka River was the source of life. The water channels, swamps and wooded areas associated with the river were habitats supporting a huge food basket. Oral traditions identify the Motueka River and flood plain as an extensive and bountiful mahinga kai from which to gather a huge variety of natural resources. Floods would replenish and fertilise the catchment, enabling iwi to cultivate food. Modified soils, argillite adzes, drill points, whalebone patu and pounamu pendants convey the kind of association tūpuna had with the Motueka River catchment and surrounding lands. Wāhi tapu sites found in the Motueka River catchment include the area from the Motueka Wharf to Thorpe St, which was once an extensive garden, with the raised sand dunes providing natural shelter for the crops. Just south of the Motueka River Mouth was Raumānuka, a kāinga, which was permanently inhabited. Traditionally, Raumānuka was the host marae for group gatherings. Further south was Kōkiri, a seasonal habitation from which tūpuna harvested coastal and wetland resources. From Pounamu (Staples Street) north to the mouth of the Motueka River was an area tūpuna used to gather pīngao for weaving; established gardens were associated with blocks on higher ground. Pā sites and kāinga associated with the Motueka River catchment were plentiful. One pā named Pounamu was located at Staple St. Wakapaetuara Pā was situated on the north bank of the Motueka River. ‘Wakapaetūara’ superseded the old pā, ‘Hui Te Rangiora,’ which was situated at the mouth of the Riuwaka River. Traditionally, the Motueka River and its tributaries were full of tuna, kokopū and īnanga. Tuna formed an important part of the customary diet. Upokororo, named after the grayling, was an important tribal area where tūpuna harvested eels. The gathering and p rocessing of tuna was a customary practice th at strengthened the kinship of iwi and whānau. Customary management practices followed the lifecycle of the tuna, and harvesting was regulated according to the seasons. Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 76 of 163