600th ANNIVERSARY OF ARRIVAL OF MATATUA CANOE AT WHAKATANE TO BE OBSERVED DURING SEPTEMBER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 80, 9 August 1950, Page 5

600th ANNIVERSARY OF ARRIVAL OF MATATUA CANOE AT WHAKATANE TO BE OBSERVED DURING SEPTEMBER

This will be the third of such celebrations to be held this year. The first two were at Te Kaha and Gisborne and each was organised foy the late Sir Apirana Ngata, who was a prime mover and convenor

in such ceremonies. The date set down for the arrival of the Maori canoes in the great migration is 1350 and the main canoe to the Eastern Bay of Plenty was the Matatua. From its crew sprang the various sub-tribes of the Ngatiawa, who settled about Whakatane from Matata in the west to Opotiki and also south to Te Whaiti. Some of the voyagers inter-married with original inhabitants and they settled in the Ur ewer a to be the ancestors of the Tuhoe people, known to the world through James Cowan’s “Children of the Mist.” The actual landing place of the Matatua is marked at the Heads and is the spot where Wairaka, daughter of the commander Toroa, is said to have given Whakatane its name when she saved the canoe from drifting out to sea. Another interesting spot is Kohi Point. This point was named by the voyagers of the canoe when they rounded it to come in to land. Wairaka had been seasick and this fact was remembered by the naming of the point. Kohi means seasickness.

Left For North The present spot of the Wairaka Pa is that actually settled by Toroa and his followers. That is the main reason why this area was selected for the celebrations. His brother Puhi established a pa on the cliffs up above. But following an argument with Toroa he stole away one night, taking the Matatua canoe, and with his followers fled to North Auckland where the people to this day are known as the Ngapuhi. The final resting place of the Matatua is still remembered and most Northern Maoris know the particular spot by a stream in the Bay of Islands.

The finance for the celebrations is being raised by all Ngatiawa subtribes and these will be assisted by a subsidy set aside for such functions by the Department of Maori Affairs. Public organisations at Whakatane are being asked to take part in the arrangements and so far most have signified a willingness to take part in the work. The celebrations will undoubtedly be a big event not only for the Maori people, but also for other sections of the community at Whakatane. Most tribes in the country are expected to be represented and this will mean a large influx of visitors to the town. Special arrangements are being made to accommodate visiting Maoris.

Maoris from almost every district of the North Island are expected to attend the anniversary celebration of the arrival of the Matatua canoe to be held at Whakatane from September 22 to 24. In addition the anniversary ceremony is to be combined with the unveiling of a memorial gate to the Maori boys from the district who were killed in the Boer War and World Wars I and 11. The whole ceremony is to be held on the Wairaka Pa. All tribes claiming descent from the original voyagers of the Matatua canoe will take a leading part.