Mātaatua

In Māori tradition, Mātaatua was one of the great voyaging canoes by which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand. Māori traditions say that the Mātaatua was initially sent from Hawaiki to bring supplies of kūmara to Māori settlements in New Zealand. The Mātaatua was captained by Toroa, accompanied by his brother, Puhi; his sister, Muriwai; his son, Ruaihona; and daughter, Wairaka.

Māori migrations

Bay of Plenty settlement

In local Māori tradition, the Mātaatua waka was the first to land at Whakatane, approximately 700 years ago. According to various accounts, at some point a dispute arose between the commander, Toroa, and Puhi, eponymous ancestor of Ngāpuhi, over food resources. As a result, Puhi left on the Mātaatua with most of its crew to travel further north, while Toroa, Tāneatua, Muriwai and their immediate families remained in the Bay of Plenty. Those that stayed behind settled and intermixed with previously established Māori tribes in the region. People from Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and the Tauranga Moana tribes can trace their origins to this settlement.