Whatihua
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Whatihua was a Māori rangatira (chief) in the Tainui confederation of tribes, based at Kāwhia, New Zealand. He quarrelled with his brother, Tūrongo, and as a result Tainui was split between them, with Whatihua receiving the northern Waikato region, including Kāwhia. He probably lived in the early sixteenth century.
Kūaka (Bar-tailed godwit).
A diagram of a Māori wharenui ('meeting house'). The tāhuhu is the main beam which forms the ridge of the roof. In traditional Māori architecture, it symbolises the backbone.
Rua-pū-tahanga
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Rua-pū-tahanga was a Māori puhi ariki (chieftainess) from Ngāti Ruanui, who married Whatihua and thus became the ancestor of many tribes of Tainui. She probably lived in the sixteenth century.
Aerial view of Kāwhia Harbour.
Mōkau River, near its mouth