Tikanga Maori
Te Whanganui-A-Hei
Te Whanganui-A-Hei is part of a special area first recognised by Hei, a tohunga (priest) on Te Arawa waka at the time of the great migration to New Zealand, circa 1350 AD.
On the Northward voyage from the Bay of Plenty to Hauraki, Hei selected the area around Mercury Bay on which to settle his people, proclaiming ownership of the area by referring to Motueka Island as 'Te Kuraetanga-o-taku-Ihu' ('The outward curve of my nose').
It is said he made this claim near the present day site of Hahei. Hei's descendants, as tangata whenua, still retain a strong ancestral and spiritual attachment to the site, and continue their role as guardians or kaitiaki, of the bountiful resources within it.
Information panels at the kiosk give a brief history of the Ngati Hei, the tangata whenua of the area.