When Maui caught his great fish, the special hook did not catch the stingray in the mouth, rather, it ‘foul-snared’ the fish on its pākau, or wing. The special hook is said to have caught on the frowning cliff, Te Toka-Kaiaia, on the Whakapūnake range, the highest point (Source: Wairoa Museum). Other accounts reference the hook being caught in a cave.
It has also been said that when sailing from the Pacific at certain times of the year at night, the hook of ‘Te Matau-a-Māui’ the constellation (Scorpius), appears to be lifting the land from the ocean visible as the peak of Whakapūnake.
Whakapūnake
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Visiting Info
Whakapūnake, while not easily accessible, can be seen from far away as the highest mountain located half-way between Wairoa and Gisborne. The local kaitiaki, guardians of the mountain, Ngāti Hinehika, can be found through Te Reinga Marae on Tiniroto Road.
