The significance of Huriawa

Located at the mouth of Te Awa o Waikouaiti (the Waikouaiti River), Huriawa holds a long history of Māori occupation and remains an actively treasured place of significance to local hapū Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki.

The settlement of Te Wera

In around 1740, the fortified settlement known as Te Pā a Te Wera was established at Huriawa by Te Wera, tipuna ariki a Kāi Tahu (a great chief of Kāi Tahu) and his people.

The siege of Te Pā a Te Wera

On one occasion, an ongoing feud between Kāi Tahu chiefs led to an attack on Te Pā a Te Wera. One force arrived from the north near Timaru led by the rangatira Taoka, and it is believed a second group led by the rangatira Moki arrived from Pukekura (Tairoa Head, near Ōtepoti Dunedin). These famous words that Te Wera uttered during this siege have been passed down through the generations: 

Te wero a Taoka, Taoka’s threat

“Me whakatiki koutou ki te kai!” 
“We will starve you out!”  

Te whakautu a Te Wera, Te Wera’s response

“E kore ai, e kore au e mate i te kai! E kore mā te matua whakatakoto ki Te Kutu o Toretore, e kore e taea! Engari mā te matua mate wai, ka mate au!”
“Not like that, we will never die of hunger! Nor will we be conquered by your forces gathered outside the gate; you will never succeed! It is only by the power of thirst that we may be overcome!” 

Te Wera prevails

Against all odds, Te Wera and his people stood firm. Their preparation, the strength of the pā fortifications and the presence of a concealed freshwater spring Te Punawai a Te Wera, (the spring of Te Wera) kept them safe, secure, hydrated and nourished. This siege of Te Pā a Te Wera is just one chapter in what became known as the ‘Otago feud’. 

Whaling station established 

In 1837, soon after the arrival of the first Europeans to Old Waikouaiti (Karitāne), Sydney merchants Long, Wright and Richards established a whaling station on Huriawa. During this period, whalers’ huts were scattered across the peninsula and a lookout was situated high on the summit. The challenging task of catching and processing a whale required many long days of demanding labour thus providing jobs for locals and attracting new people to the region, making the area an important site of cross-cultural contact. However, within a decade, the tohorā (Southern right whale) population was severely depleted, leading to the demise of the whaling industry around Waikouaiti. 

The first mission station

The Wesleyan mission, the first mission station of any denomination in the South Island was set up near Huriawa in 1840 by Reverend James Watkin. The first Christian sermon in Otago was given here by Watkin on the 17 May, 1840. Colonisation led to Huriawa being surveyed off for residential development and Crown reserve land.

The return of land to Ngāi Tahu

The reserve lands were returned to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu under section 142 of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 and are now jointly managed by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai under a Protected Private Land agreement. 

A note on this text

These histories were generously shared by Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, who note that isolated stories about individual places cannot illustrate the depth of cultural significance associated with treasured ancestral places like Huriawa and its surrounds. Layers of storytelling are woven into the landscapes of this region and provide a basis for identity, belonging and practice. These stories provide an opportunity to step back in time and discover how the natural abundance of this area impacted people, ecosystems, wildlife and the historic path of Huriawa.

Huriawa is proudly cared for in partnership by Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and The Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai.