TŪTĀMURE AND HINEIKAUIA

Tūtāmure was the son of Hanenepounamu from the Nukutere waka. His father was Hāruataimoana from the Tākitimu waka, the lines of descent from Tamateapōkaiwhenua to Tūtāmure is shown below:

Tamateapōkaiwhenua = Te Onoonoiwaho

Whaene

Hāruataimoana

Tūtāmure

Tamateapōkaiwhenua married three sisters, Te Onoonoiwaho, Iwipūpū and Moanaikauia. From the first marriage he had Whaene. From the second marriage, he had Kahungunu and Iranui. And from the third marriage, he had Ranginui. Their home was at Papamoa in the Tauranga district and was close to the sea. The children were expert fishermen and history records an occasion whereby Whaene hit his younger brother Kahungunu causing the injury of his hands by the sharp fins of a tāmure or snapper. Overcome with humiliation, Kahungunu reported the incident to his mother Iwipūpū. She encouraged him to go east to his sister Iranui. On his journey eastward, he visited his nephew Hāruataimoana and his wife Hanenepounamu living in Ōpōtiki. When she noticed his wounds, Kahungunu explained that Whaene had caused them thus making him a wanderer. Noting her pregnancy, he remarked that if the unborn child was a boy, then to name him Tūtāmure (pricked by a snapper). Hanenepounamu gave birth to a son and named him, Tūtāmure. Hineīkauīa, the daughter of Muriwai, followed her brother Repanga to the Ōpōtiki district and married Tūtāmure. Ngāti Rua derive their whakapapa through Tūtāmure of the Nukutere waka and Muriwai of the Mataatua waka. “The union between Tūtāmure and Hineīkauīa laid the foundation for the Iwi of Whakatōhea on the mana whenua (territorial authority) of Te Panenehu and the mana ariki (chiefly authority) of the Mātaatua waka" (Walker, R (2007) Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti: Capital of Whakatōhea).

TĀNEROA

Tāneroa was the sister of Tūtāmure. His fondness for his sister and she for him was well known. She was very beautiful unlike Tūtāmure. Tāneroa married Rangimainotai and her husband took her to live in his district, south of Gisborne. She was a hard worker and often toiled long hours to satisfy her husband and his people. She often spoke of her people in Ōpōtiki and this made her husband curious enough to visit Ōmarumutu where her family lived. Proudly, she pointed out the industry of her people, causing her husband to return to his district, humiliated. He plotted to kill his wife and gave the instructions for this to happen. Tūtāmure sought to avenge the death of his sister and waged a war against her husbands’ people at Māhanga pā and then Maungakāhia pā on the Māhia Peninsula. The attack on Maungakāhia was silent, swift and the element of surprise caught the rangatira, Kahungunu off guard. Tūtāmure made his presence known when he declared his own name:

“Kaore koe i rongo ki te tangata i nōhia te whakarua?

Kārangaranga te muri, ka tutū ngā tuatara o Tāmure.

Ko au! Ko au!

Ko Tūtāmure!

Source: Ngāti Rua, Te Whakatōhea Booklet; Walker, R (2007) Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti: Capital of Whakatōhea.