by all of the Koromiko Valley catchments, which merge to form the Tua Marina. The area was traditionally a large kahikatea and totara swamp, where native trees were felled for timber and harekeke and raupo harvested. Plentiful numbers of birds and fish, including eels used to inhabit the swamp and therefore the site was of particular importance to Ngāti Rārua as a mahinga ka i. The site was a kāinga nohoanga (campsite or go between settlement) for Ngāti Rārua when travelling between the Wairau and visiting Waitohi (Picton), where they would camp over night before continuing on the two-day journey. Eels would be caught and taken as koha to give to Te Ātiawa on arrival in Waitohi. In 1856, Donald McLean agreed to provide a reserve of 50 acres specifically for Te Tana Pukekōhatu (Ngā Rārua Rangatira), which was located in the Para Swamp area ti (section 99 Waitohi Valley District). This particular section was chosen by Pukekō hatu due to the significance it had for Ngāti Rāru a. Para Swamp remains the largest lowland freshwater wetland in Marlborough. The swamp along w ith other significant mahinga kai of Ngāti Rārua has been an ar ea where customary harvesting traditions and practises have been taught from one generation to the next. PARAPARA PEAK Parapara Peak has been important to the lives and cultural identity of Ngāti Rārua for generations. Parapara Peak is a taonga, a sacred ancestor and guardian, providing Ngāti Rārua with a historical and spiritual link to the natural worl d. The relationship Ngāti Rārua has with Parapara Peak provides whānau with a “sense of place” and belonging to the rohe. Traditionally, Ngāti Rārua u sed Parapara Peak as a bounda ry marker. It remains a geographical landmark for whānau living to the West of Te Tau Ihu. Parapara Peak stands at the headwaters of the sacred Parapara and Pariwhakaoho rivers. These awa bring water from the maunga through the whenua and out to sea. Water is an essential element of life – a taonga that is considered to transcend life itself. Wai is necessary to ensure the physical and spiritual survival of all things. Since the settlement of the area by our tūpuna, the spring waters that have flowed from Parapara mountain valleys have brought life and sustenance to Ngāti Rārua whānau living wit hin the Parapara watershed catchment. Therefore, Parapara Peak derives some of its significance from the traditions associated with its catchment. Parapara awa flows into Parapara Inlet – an extremely valuable resource gathering area for tūpuna. Traditionally, the estuary, streams, swamps a nd forests were full of life, making it a rich mahinga kai. Tūpuna live d, cultivated l and, collected resources and harvested food from these waters. Dyestuffs were extracted from the mud of the estuary and iron-rich haematite clays were quarried from nearby deposit sites. 6 Ancestral kāinga and urupā at Pariwhakaoho signify the importance of the Pariwhakaoho awa for tūpuna wellbeing and sustenance. Through occupation and use of the area comes the development of special connections to the land. Therefore many taonga and wā hi tap u are associated with the Pariwhakaoho awa and link Ngāti Rāru a physically and spiritually to the area. The importance of Parapara Peak continues to be reflected in Ngāti Rārua customary practices. When speaking in a formal setting it is customary to identify where Ngāti Rārua come from and to recite the relationship that connects whānau to the natural 6H & J Mitchell: Te Tau Ihu O Te Waka – A history of Maori of Nelson and Marlborough. Volume I:Te Tangata me te Whenua (2004:27 &28) Te Tau Ihu Statutory Acknowledgements Page 81 of 163