11/06/2026
Earlier this week members of the Waipū Cycleway committee and the local community came together alongside Patuharakeke for the unveiling of Taranga.
This powerful pou whenua, carved by David Ngawati of Mahu Creative, honours whakapapa, identity, kaitiakitanga, and the enduring relationship between people, land, and moana in this rohe of Bream Bay and Waipū. Taranga is the largest offshore island in the Hen and Chicken island chain, located roughly 20-30 km offshore from Waipū/Bream Bay, known commonly today as “The Hen Island”. The smaller islands to the north are named after Māui and his brothers.
Taranga holds deep significance in local and wider Māori pūrākau. The Māori legend goes that Māui was born prematurely to Taranga and believing him to be stillborn, she wrapped him in the topknot (tikitiki) of her hair and cast him into the ocean. Because of this, he earned the name Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga (Māui caught up in the topknot of Taranga). Sea creatures cared for the infant Māui, and he was eventually rescued by his ancestor Tama-nui-a-rangi, who raised him. When Māui grew older, he traveled to the underworld to reunite with his mother and brothers again.
Here in Bream Bay, stories of whakapapa are anchored in place in the form of offshore islands. These narratives extend across generations and trace ancestral connections throughout the Pacific, linking Bream Bay to the wider Pacific Ocean, Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.). The moana here is not just a landscape, but a living connection to whakapapa and identity for iwi and hapū, including Patuharakeke and mana whenua of this rohe.
A beautiful and grounding moment of mātauranga Māori, storytelling, and place-based history brought to life for everyone who travels this path.
The Waipu Cycleway is in its final stage of completion and we can’t wait to see it in full use 💙
