The history of ōtākou

Ōtākou is the significant name of the area. Originally Ōtākou is the name of the waterway that spans the area from Te Rae o Tupa, the northern part of Pukekura extending up to the Dunedin port area (where the town resides now) Although it is an ocean harbour, it was known as an awa (river) by our old people because of its river like appearance. Today however, Ōtākou is more widely recognised in the Otago area as the name for the entire harbour and the settlement at the lower end of the Otago Peninsula. Otago eventually became the name for that entire southern region that is a modified version of Ōtākou. The origins of the meaning are still somewhat dubious although as Beattie recorded the word “kou” in Ōtākou means an end point. This is quite possibly a description of the shape of the area of Ōtākou or the shape of a channel in the Ōtākou harbour.

The earliest of activity on the Otago Peninsula has been supported by reliable archaeological evidence centred on the 13th and 14th century.4 These were samples of charcoal, bone and shell unearthing many moa butchery sites, some large and some small, including a variety of moa. There were many on the Otago Peninsula and further afield, including Andersons Bay, St Kilda, St Clair, Sandfly Bay, Papanui, Hoopers Inlet, Allans Beach Long Beach, and Pūrākaunui.

The following wave of people migrated in different phases from the North Island and married into these existing groups of people. Kāti Mamoe were the first in the series of migrations south. The migration that followed Kāti Māmoe were descendants of an ancestor from the East Coast of the North Island known as Tahupōtiki. The Kāi Tahu tribe is a well-known Māori entity of the South Island today and take their name from the eponymous ancestor, Tahupōtiki. Tahupōtiki lived his life in the North Island on the East Coast around the area now known as Hawkes Bay. There are a series of events that occur in a relatively short timeframe that explain Kāi Tahu’s position at the harbour entrance of the Otago Peninsula.

That depth of identity that was previously shared by only the descendants of Ōtākou is now an identity that many locals experience and affiliate with. This illustrates the strength of Māori identity on the Otago Peninsula. The first known arrival of Kāi Tahu to Otago started with an ancestor, Waitai. He made his way south leaving behind his siblings and relations who were known as Kāti Kurī. Kāti Kurī were resident in the Wellington area and made their way to the South Island. Waitai had made his way south to the fortified village, Pukekura (Taiaroa Heads) where he became resident. He married Te Rakitauneke’s sister, a local Kāti Māmoe chief and an alliance was established. The pair embarked on several skirmishes throughout Otago. Waitai moved south and was eventually killed by local Kāti Māmoe.

The Story of Tarewai

This story comes from the Ōtākou people. The tipuna, Tarewai of the Kāi Tahu tribe is a well known figurehead in the fabric of Ōtākou history and whakapapa. This is well-known by the people of Ōtākou and has also been written about by the likes of Pybus and Anderson.

Tarewai was a renowned figure in our Ōtākou whakapapa. He came down to Ōtākou with the Kāti Kurī migration South. He was possibly involved in several altercations along the way and probably became a ‘marked man’ as he was encroaching on enemy territory.

There was a battle at the Pyramids (Papanui/Ōkia flat). In a brief period of peace, a group of about 10 Kāti Kurī including Tarewai were invited to the Pyramid area to assist in building a new whare. Games and wrestling took place during a break in the work where Tarewai and his men were enticed to an area and all were killed, except Tarewai. Tarewai was held down by a number of men, as he was a very large and strong man. The enemy took his mere pounamu and then proceeded to cut his chest open. As they were cutting Tarewai, they were distracted, and he was able to break free. He escaped, sheltering in a cave at Hereweka (Harbour Cone). There he used rongoā (medicine) to heal his wounds and it is said that the patupaiarehe (fairies) also assisted in his recovery.

He planned on getting back to the Pā of his enemy to retrieve his mere pounamu. One night he crept up to the Kāti Mamoe camp site, staying in the shadows beyond the flickering lights cast by the flames. Feigning a speech impediment of someone he knew that resided in the Pā, Tarewai joined with the men as they sat around the fire, handing his mere to each other. Tarewai patiently waited for the mere to be handed to him, and as soon as it was in his grasp, he lept up claiming: “Naia te toa o Tarewai, kai a ia anō tōna patu” and then escaped into the night. Tarewai wished to return to his Kāi Tahu stronghold at Pukekura. Kāti Māmoe had established a pā (village) opposite Pukekura named Rakipipikao. Tarewai created a diversion so that he could run along the beach and back into the safety of his pā, which was successful. The spot where he leapt to his safety is named ‘Te Rereka o Tarewai’. Tarewai and his uncles then sought revenge on Kāti Māmoe over a period of time pursuing them into Southland. Tarewai met his demise in Fiordland.

Following the skirmishes at Pukekura and a brief period of asserting dominance the Ōtākou people enjoyed a relatively settled period with no external threats and formalised peace-making arrangements with subtribes to the north.

Ultimately there were a number of important battles but the Tarewai battle is a significant one and a useful one to retell tamariki. The places where he battled or recuperated can be visited and the imagery of the mere can be illustrated in artwork

Tarewai’s Trail

A simple board game played by 2 or more players rolling a dice.

Learn more

If you would like to learn more about Ōtākou history, click here to learn about our harbor.