This
is a song in praise of Pāua-taha-nui
(shellfish-bank-big), the largest coastal inlet
in Porirua and the most extensive relatively
unmodified estuarine area in the lower North
Island. It has been inhabited for at least 600
years.
Where the black swans gently swim the tide
Herons walk on stilts and search for kai
Flounder swim the flats hiding in the mud
Ringed by rushes harbouring the young
Waters from
the hills do flow
Weave their journey to the shore
Porirua land of two seas
Pāu-a-ta-ha-nui
Drawn by moa once abundant in this land
Many ancient tribes have roamed these sands
Giant waka in the shallows rest in the tide
Middens left buried there to bide
Land of
plenty food for all
Hills of kumara, taro, yams
Pa sites built to guard where bush clad
pathways meet
Pāu-a-ta-ha-nui
Pakeha from Poneke did depart
Northbound bush tracks wending their way
Wheels rumbled in, drawn by horses four
Weary travelers sup and rest their heads
Public
houses on the shore,
Churches pointing to the sky
New gods to worship, love and fear
Pāu-a-ta-ha-nui
Ringed by roads, houses and walkways
Man's amphitheatre watching nature's ways
Tiny children building castles in the sand
Spirits nurtured, treasure in their hands
Sandbank
sunsets, full moon rise
Birds migrating to the skies
Guard its future that this beauty may
abide
Pāu-a-ta-ha-nui
Chords
E
B7
Where the black swans gently swim the tide A
B7
E
Herons walk on stilts and search for kai E
B7
Flounder swim the flats hiding in the mud A
B7
E
Ringed by rushes harbouring the young
B7
E
Waters from the hills do flow A
E
B7
Weave their journey to the shore E
B7
Porirua land of two seas A
B7 E
Pāu-a-ta-ha-nui
Pāuatahanui Inlet
The Pauatahanui Inlet arm of Porirua harbour
extends eastward to the settlement of
Pauatahanui. The wetland there, where the
Pauatahanui Stream enters the Pauatahanui
Inlet, is the largest remaining estuarine
wetland in the lower North Island. The
Pauatahanui Wildlife Reserve was established
in the 1980s to protect the inlet's
environment and to restore damaged areas.
The inner harbour is very silted up and
shallow except for the stream Chanel,
because silt from the Whitby sub-division
did a lot of damage. The Transmission Gully
road construction will be now be adding to
that.
Many years ago they used big machines to dig
out ponds near the North East end of the
harbour and created an area for the
migrating birds ....at times the harbour is
full of them. No rocks there now, so no
pāua, but there are lots of other sand
shellfish.
But there have been lots of pāua along the
coast from the entrance to the two harbours,
although stocks have become depleted
recently. There are general fishing
restrictions in all the surrounding areas.
Murray writes what he knows about
"I have played music with Sue Rose for
around twenty years. We have weekly
practice. Sue lives with her husband Kim, on
a ten acre block on the flats half way to
Battle Hill on the Paekakariki road. In
order to drive to her home each week. I
travel around the north side of the inner
harbour, on Gray’s Road named after a
landholder in the area.
"The inner harbour is a sea bird sanctuary
where lots of migrating sea birds visit. Its
a bit like a mini Miranda. The village,
Sue's local village where the stream enters
the harbour, is Pāuhatahanui. It is a very
quiet lazy place now.
"In early Pakeha days the village was one
days buggy ride from Poneke, or Wellington.
Travellers spent the night there and then
traversed the Paekakariki Hill Road to head
further north. I believe that there were
four large hotels there for overnight
travellers, plus a number of churches. The
churches seem to be still there but the
hotels have long since disappeared.
"In pre-European times, the harbour was a
valuable food source for the local Maori.
Today it is used for recreation.
"I was playing around on my guitar one day
when out of nowhere a tune appeared. For
once I remembered it and so played it to Sue
at our next practice. On their coffee table
in their lounge was a book about
Pāuhatahanui’s history. That inspired the
idea for the song. Sue and I sort of
brainstormed the words over a period of a
few weeks."
