Rotorua's Sacred Gulls

In 1823, the northern Ngapuhi tribe, led by Hongi Hika, attacked Rotorua's Te Arawa people on Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua. Te Arawa were warned of the pending attack by the disturbed flight and squawking of Nga Tarapunga - the red-billed gull - and were prepared for the enemy as a result. Since then, the gulls have been tapu (sacred) to the people of Te Arawa.

Both red- and black-billed gulls breed in their thousands at Te Arikiroa (Sulphur Bay) on the edge of the lake (near the Polynesian Spa) and the red-bills also roost here outside breeding season. The little sandy beach at Te Arikiroa was also the scene of an inter-tribal battle centuries ago, when the people of Ngati Tangaroa-mihi and Ngati Tama (Tama-ihu-toroa) clashed. The dead and dying were said to be so thickly strewn about that they resembled inanga (whitebait) cast on the shore. Things are much quieter today and it's a popular bird-watching spot. You'll also frequently find photographers at work early in the morning, trying to capture the mood as morning mists and geothermal steam mix over the water. There's a msyterious beauty about the place then.

A Visual Moment

Right Place, Right Time.

A reflection of a waka - on a poster - caught in the moody waters of Lake Rotorua.
It almost looks real.

The Buried Village of Te Wairoa - A Book

If you're a visitor to Rotorua, there's every chance you'll drive out to Lake Tarawera and The Buried Village, one of the city's leading tourist attractions. You don't actually see a lot and you have to walk quite a distance through a pretty park to see buried ruins (not that that is too much of a hardship), so I was delighted to pick up this old book recently - "The Buried Village of Te Wairoa," published by D.W.Smith, Rotorua. It doesn't have a publication date but judging by the photographs, it's relatively early, so I gathered it up to add to my collection of old books on New Zealand Maori.

Before the eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886, the Te Wairoa valley was home to the Arawa hapu (sub-tribe), Tuhourangi. Along with a carved whare, (meeting house) called Hinemihi, (that's it in the second image from the top), there were churches, hotels and houses for both Maori and Pakeha. But when Tarawera blew her top on the night of June 10, 1886, rocks, firefalls and mud explorded into the air and rained down over an area of nearly 6,000 square miles. Around 143 people perished and the famous Pink and White Terraces were never seen again. The image directly above shows the whare (house) of Tohutu, the 100-year-old Tohunga (priest,witchdoctor), which is still at the Buried Village today. Tohutu was buried in the whare but was found alive four days later.

Caption as shown: "The carvings of this unique storehouse, or Pataka, are executed in sandstone, a material very rarely used for this purpose."

Caption as shown: "Restored and erected in the grounds of beautiful Clandon Park in England, this same whare was bought from the Te Wairoa Maoris by an early Governor, the Earl of Onslow, who took it back (to England), when his term was completed. The whole property is now in the hands of the National Historic Trust in Britain." www.buriedvillage.co.nz

Reflecting on St Faiths

This is one of my favourite shots of St Faith's Church in the lakeside settlement of Ohinemutu at Rotorua. I've taken dozens of photographs of this are and you'll see plenty more by clicking on either St Faith's Church or Ohinemutu in the label line below this post. In fact, if you scroll down, you'll see I've written a number of successive Ohinemutu posts this week.

Beside the Lake

The small Maori community of Ohinemutu at Rotorua, is one of my favourite Maori places. Nestled into a small hillock on the banks of Lake Rotorua, it's a place of mood, culture and geothermal activity - a fascinating combination that usually sees me spending hours there on any visit to Rotorua. Apart from the fistful of houses, the narrow streets and the magnificent St Faith's Church, you'll also find some stunning examples of Maori carving - these two shots taken at the beautiful wharenui (meeting house) that dominates the main marae complex. I've posted many shots taken at Ohinemutu - just click on the name in the label line below this post to see more. www.rotoruanz.com

Maori Place Names - 40

Lake Rotoiti

Rotorua District

North Island

May 2009 Ajr

Bird Tales: The Red-Billed Gull

Unfortunately I haven't been able to establish the precise Maori name for this, the red-billed seagull. I've found at least five different words for seagull - katete, akiaki, karoro, tara, and tarapunga. Maybe they refer to different species of gull? As always, any knowledgeable comments left below greatly appreciated. What I have discovered about the red-billed gull though, is that it was once considered tapu, or sacred around Lake Rotorua. This arose from an incident in 1823 when the northern Ngapuhi tribe attacked the Te Arawa people, who were hiding on Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua. Unknown to them, Ngapuhi had brought their canoes in from the coast for the attack. But they were unexpectedly foiled - to a degree - when the colonies of red-billed and black-billed gulls shrieked in alarm when they saw the canoes, alerting the Te Arawa people to enemy presence. After the battle, in which many lost their lives, the Te Arawa tohunga (priest) recited a karakia (prayer) over the gulls, declaring them sacred so they would not be harmed.