wife and daughter of Porourangi, the chief of the Ngati Porou tribe. The tekoteko, the figure on top of the meeting-house, represents Tuterangiwhiuiti, who was a descendant of Porourangi and a great warrior. At the foot of the amo, or side boards, are the heads of two dogs which represent two brothers, Korohau and Kuku. There were really four brothers, and all were brave warriors. Together with other warriors of the Ngati Porou tribe they went to fight the Whanau-a-Apanui tribe. They fought near Te Araroa at a place called Manairoa. After a long and fierce battle three of the brothers were discovered amongst the dead. The chief of the Whanau-a-Apanui tribe referred to them as dogs, thus giving the carver the idea of carving the heads of dogs to represent the brothers. The maihi or barge-boards are carved only at their lower ends (raparapa). This carving is to show that no eating, smoking or entertainment should take place in this meeting house. However this rule is not being carried out, and today seems of little importance. On the carvings above the door and window there are three figures. Two of these represent two sisters, Rutonga and Rongomaitauarau, who were the wives of Tumoana-kotore. The third figure, Tumoana-kotore, is between the two women; hence the saying, ‘How lovingly the wives embrace him’. After the flood in 1937, Porourangi had to be moved from the creek-side to its present site. This undertaking was supervised by Sir Apirana Ngata. The tukutuku work was all renewed and the scroll work and carvings were re-painted. The most impressive part of the operation was the shifting of the tahu, or the ‘ridge pole. One hundred people were engaged in moving this. About seventy yards from Porourangi stands the Bungalow, the home of the late Sir Apirana Ngata. It is a beautifully built family home, surrounded by flower gardens, shrubs, a lawn and a tennis court. On the death of Sir Apirana he was laid to rest beside his father, Paratene Ngata, on Puputa Hill overlooking Porourangi, the Bungalow and the Waiapu Valley. Also on Puputa Hill is the great warrior chief Ropata Wahawaha. He was in supreme command of the Waiomatatini marae, a dictator and a counsellor to his people. He was also responsible for urging Sir Apirana Ngata to further his education, as he foresaw that in time he would become a great leader. Sir Apirana was in his day supreme leader of Waiomatatini, and his heart and soul were for Porourangi, Ngati Porou and the Maori people.

How Ruatoria Got Its Name by Caroline Te Rauna There was once a Maori woman called Torea who owned a pit in which she kept young kumara plants. Her pit, now vanished, was situated opposite the Ruatoria school bus depot. Her fame as a grower of young plants was known throughout the district and because of the great demand for them, she became cunning and greedy. One day a chief of high rank came to her and asked for some plants. Thinking that the chief would not pay. Torea gave him only one plant. But when she saw that he was about to give her his weapon in payment, she changed her attitude and told him that there were more if he wanted them. The chief was wise, however, and he had seen through the woman's wickedness. He told her that he would nurse the one plant that she had given him, and would grow his own shoots for the next season. When Sir Apirana Ngata, an outstanding Maori politician, heard the story of Torea and the chief, he referred to her pit as a post office, the reason being that when the chief gave her payment, it was like handing money into her pit for safe-keeping. So when the post office was built, Sir Apirana called it ‘Te Rua o Torea’ or ‘The Pit of Torea’. Later the name was changed to Ruatoria, and as the little township grew and modern facilities were established, this name came to be used to refer to the whole district.