Turangawaewae Turangawaewae Marae at Ngaruawahia in the Waikato is the headquarters for the Maori King Movement and the official residence of the Maori King. The marae's buildings include the carved Māhina-a-rangi meeting house, built in 1929, and next to it, Tūrongo House, the Maori King's official residence, built in 1938. Māhina-a-rangi and Tūrongo are celebrated ancestors of the Tainui people of Waikato. Their son, Raukawa, begat the tribe, Ngāti Raukawa, of both the Waikato and Horowhenua regions. Raukawa’s grandson, Maniapoto, was the eponymous ancestor of the tribe Ngāti Maniapoto. Māhina-a-rangi however, was a descendant of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou and the story of her union with Tūrongo is revered in the lore of all these tribes.

Tūrongo and  Māhina-a-rangi Pei Te Hurinui Jones, 1929 Ko Tūrongo te tama a Tawhao, te ariki o Kawhia, me a Puniatekore, tana wahine matua. Ko Whatihua te tama a te wahine tuarua a Tawhao. Ka tae ki te wa mo te marena, ka whakataua e Tūrongo a Ruaputahanga, he puhi o Taranaki, engari a tinihanga a Whatihua ia.   Tūrongo was the son of the Kawhia chief, Tawhao, and of Puniatekore, his senior wife. His brother Whatihua was the son of Tawhao's second wife. When it was time for them to marry, Tūrongo courted a Taranaki beauty, Ruaputahanga, but Whatihua tricked him and won her for himself. Ha ka pa mai te hinapouri ki a ia. Te kawenga a te hinapouri ka turakina e Tūrongo te whare i ata hanga ra e ia a ko nga pou whakairo ka totoia ki te moana.   Then coldness came upon Tūrongo. Due to the burden of depression, Tūrongo demolished the building he had been constructing and threw the carved posts into the sea. E hanga aroha a Tūrongo ki te haere wairangi noa i te akau, a he mea ano ka rongona tona reo e waiata ana ano he whakapu i te taha o te haruru o te tai. Ka noho tona iwi ka mamae o ratou ngakau ki te whakarongo ki te waiata a Tūrongo. Ka akona atu e ratou nga kupu o taua waiata me kore noa e marie tona pouri ki te rongo mai ki a ratou e waiata ana.   Tūrongo was heartbroken, and was often on the beach chanting his melancholy song into the teeth of the gale. His people sat in anguish as they listened to Tūrongo's song. They learnt its words and he didn't feel so sad when listening to them singing. Ina noa e marie nei te pouri o Tūrongo. Ka puta ona whakaaro ki te puhi atahua ra ki a  Māhina-a-rangi, o Heretaunga, kei te Tairawhiti. Ka whakaaro ia me haere atu ia i Kawhia, haere oti atu; a ka whakapuaki ia i ona whakaaro ki a Tawhao ki tona matua.   Eventually, peace replaced the darkness in Tūrongo's soul. He now recalled to mind the stories that he had heard of a noted beauty by the name of  Māhina-a-rangi who lived in the Hawke's Bay district on the East Coast. He made up his mind to leave Kawhia for good, and he discussed his plans with his father. Otira he kaumatua aroha a Tawhao ki ana tamariki. Ka korero ia ki a Tūrongo a ki a Whatihua hoki kei te ata roherohea e ia ona whenua, ko nga whenua ki te takutai mai i Kawhia ka rere whakararo mo Whatihua, a ko nga mea ki te tuawhenua mai i Pirongia ka rere ki te pae maunga o Hauturu a ki te awa o Puniu mo Tūrongo.   But Tawhao loved his children very much, and he told Tūrongo and Whatihua that he had decided to divide the tribal domain in two. The lands on the coast from Kawhia northwards were to be for Whatihua, and the territory on the eastern and inland side of the Pirongia and Hauturu ranges, with the northern boundary on the Puniu River, were to be for Tūrongo. Ka haere a Tūrongo engari i runga ano i te kupu iho ki tona matua tena te wa ka hoki mai ki te wa kainga.   Tūrongo then departed, promising his parents that in time he would return to the viillage. KA TAE KI KAHOTEA Ka haere ra a Tūrongo a ka tae ki te pa o Kahotea (ki e tu mai na te Kareti o Te Aute), i reira ra a  Māhina-a-rangi ratou ko ona matua ko Te Angiangi raua ko Tuaka. Rokohanga atu e Tūrongo e Tuaka ratou ko tona iwi e hanga whare ana. Ko etahi ano i te ngahere i te whakarawe kai, a ko etahi i te moana, i te mahi mataitai hei whangai i te ohu hanga whare.   ARRIVING AT KAHOTEA After a long journey, Tūrongo arrived at the village of Kahotea (near the present site of Te Aute College) where  Māhina-a-rangi lived with her parents Te Angiangi and Tuaka. Tūrongo found Tuaka engaged with his people in the building of a tribal house. Some of them were obtaining food from the bush, and some from the sea, while others were preparing food for the house-builders. Ko Tūrongo he toa patu kai a he tohunga hoki ki nga mahi hanga whare, a kaore i roa haere te rongo o te tangata nei i waenganui o Ngati-Kahungunu ki Heretaunga. E akoina ki te wawahi rakau kaore he tangata hei whawha atu ki a Tūrongo, e nawai ra kua poipoia tona ingoa e te ngutu tangata.   Tūrongo was a champion fowler and an expert house-builder, and before long was well-renowned among the Ngati-Kahungunu tribes of Heretaunga. He was particularly adept in the splitting of timber, and before very long his skill was being freely commented upon. I tetahi rangi ka mea atu a Te Angiangi ki tana tamahine ki a  Māhina-a-rangi, "Me moe koe i a Tūrongo hei rangatira mou; he tangata kaha hoki ki te mahi kai." Ka haere te mahi o te whare o Tuaka me te whakamihi ano a te tangata mo te tohunga o Tūrongo ki te mahi.   One day Te Angiangi spoke to her daughter,  Māhina-a-rangi, and said, "You should marry Tūrongo and let him be your lord; for he is indeed an industrious food-gatherer." The building of the house proceeded, and Tūrongo's services were in great demand. Ko Tūrongo ia pau katoa ona whakaaro ki te tamahine a Tuaka ki a  Māhina-a-rangi.   Meanwhile, Tūrongo was taking careful note of the behaviour of the chief's daughter. HE PUHI RINGA RAWE He wahine atahua a he wahine ringa rawe hoki ki a te wahine ki ana mahi a  Māhina-a-rangi. Hei te pukana hei te poi a hei te waiata e ka mau te wehi, rere ana te ihiihi ki te tangata.   A TALENTED YOUNG BEAUTY A beautiful young woman and also skilled in womanly tasks was  Māhina-a-rangi. In pukana and poi and dramatic waiata she could affect the emotions of everyone. Ka ahua tamate nga whakaaro o Tūrongo ki tona whakaarotanga iho e he uri rangatira taua wahine. Ko  Māhina-a-rangi ia kei te whakaaro mo te korero a tona whaea engari me pehea ra tana whakatata atu ki a Tūrongo?   Tūrongo was subdued in the face of such a captivating beauty, and he could not forget that she was of the best blood in the land. In the meanwhile,  Māhina-a-rangi had thought over her mother's advice, but how could she get closer to Tūrongo? I nga tuahiahitanga ko te mahi a  Māhina-a-rangi he titiro ki a Tūrongo e hoki ana ki tona whare i muri mai o nga korero ki te wharepuni—hei te haere ko nga whakaaro kei whea mai nei.   Every evening  Māhina-a-rangi had taken particular notice of Tūrongo returning to his whare after discussions in the wharepuni about what they were going to do next. Taka rawa ki tetahi ahiahi ka ata whakakahu, a  Māhina-a-rangi i a ia a ka ruia te hinu kakara o te raukawa ki runga i ona pakihiwi. Ka haere atu ia i te whare o tona matua me tana whakaware ano ka whakawhiti atu i te marae a pena tonu i heipu noa ka tutuki atu ki a Tūrongo, oho rere ana taua maia hoki rawa ake ona whakaaro ko te reo anake e warowaro ana i roto i ona taringa "Taku aroha e te tau; taku aroha."   Early one evening, before the rising of the moon,  Māhina-a-rangi carefully bedecked herself, and sprinkled the raukawa perfume on her shoulder. She left her father's house, hurried across the marae and, as if by chance, ran into the arms of Tūrongo. She pressed her face against his ear and whispered, "My love, O beloved; my love!" HE KAKARA POREHU Raparapa noa ona whakaaro ko wai ra ko wai ra taua wahine, engari ko te kakara o te raukawa mau tonu i roto i ona whakaaro. Ka wawata ano ia ko Mahingarangi pea? Ka takoto a Tūrongo me tana whakaaro mo taua wahine rokohanga ka rotua e te moe.   A MYSTERIOUS SCENT He could only guess who that girl was, but the scent of the raukawa remained fixed in his mind. Could it be  Māhina-a-rangi? Tūrongo lay thinking about that girl until he was overcome by tiredness and went to sleep. Ka noho na he ahiahi ke ano ka mutu ano te tohu ki a Tūrongo ko te kakara o te raukawa. Mau tonu taua kakara i roto i ona whakaaro katahi ia ka mea me mataara ia kia mau ai taua wahine.   Some evenings later the same thing happened, and Tūrongo again recognised the raukawa perfume, its aroma stayed on his mind and he decided to look for that girl. Uina ake i te ata, kei te warea te tangata ki te mahi, ka ahu atu a Tūrongo ki a  Māhina-a-rangi ratou ko ona hoa e whakataruna ana ki te tititorea. Ka haere wairangi noa atu ia ka tu i muri i tena i tena o aua wahine.   The following morning, when most of the people of the village at work, Tūrongo walked over to where  Māhina-a-rangi and her friends were playing the stick-passing game. In a daze he stood over each player in turn. Kua whairo ake i a  Māhina-a-rangi a Tūrongo e ahu mai ana a kua noho kino nga whakaaro o taua puhi. Kei te haere te takaro a nga wahine ra ka haere mai a Tūrongo ka tu mai i tawahi atu o  Māhina-a-rangi. Kua puhana ona paparinga i te whakama ko Tūrongo ia ke kei titoro atu kua mohiotia mai i haere tonu mai ia ki a  Māhina-a-rangi.    Māhina-a-rangi was vaguely aware of Tūrongo's approach, and found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on that game. Tūrongo presently stood behind a player on the opposite side of the ring to  Māhina-a-rangi. Her cheeks flushed with the embarrassment lest Tūrongo would recognise her as he came closer to  Māhina-a-rangi. Mehemea hoki ehara i a  Māhina-a-rangi taua wahine ka tau tetahi pouri nui ki a ia. I a ia e tu ana, ano kei te tata tonu mai te kakara o te raukawa, ka tuohu iho ia ki te wahine i mua atu i a ia he whakataruna noaiho me kore e kitea ko wai ra taua wahine.   If  Māhina-a-rangi were not the maiden of the raukawa perfume, he would have been very disappointed. He stood there, trying he catch the aroma of the raukawa perfume. As he bowed down to the woman next to her, he feared he would not find her. NGA RAKAU MAKEREKERE Ka whakatata mai a Tūrongo ki a  Māhina-a-rangi kua noho kino rawa atu nga whakaaro o taua wahine tae rawa mai ki tona taha ka makere nga rakau ko tona whakatikatanga me te ki ano kua mutu tana takoro.   THE DROPPED STICKS As Tūrongo drew near,  Māhina-a-rangi became flustered and dropped the sticks when it was her turn to catch and pass them on around the ring. I tona whakatikatanga ka pa ake ia ki a Tūrongo ka tae mai te ihiihi ki tera rokohanga ko te kakara o te raukawa i nga kahu o  Māhina-a-rangi. Tera tetahi o nga wahine ra kei te titiro korotaha ake ki a  Māhina-a-rangi raua ko Tūrongo a nana te whakatu o te titiro atu a tetahi ki tetahi a taua tokorua i mua o te rere patikotanga o  Māhina-a-rangi.   When Tūrongo had reached a position behind her he recognised the smell of the raukawa coming from  Māhina-a-rangi's feathers. One of the players was very observant, and later told of how she had been almost blinded by the burning ardency with which Tūrongo and  Māhina-a-rangi exchanged looks, before  Māhina-a-rangi hurried off. Kaore a Tūrongo i atatau i tena ra. Ko tona whakaaro nui ka whakaae ano te Ariki nui ra a Tuaka kia moe tana tamahine i te tauhou penei i a ia a ka ahua hau mate ia i tenei whakaaro. Engari ra no te toto rangatira ano ia a Tūrongo a he oranga ngakau tenei whakaaro.   Tūrongo was at a loss all that day. Would the great ariki Tuaka consent to his beloved daughter marrying a stranger? With this thought his spirits fell; but he, too, was of ariki line, ran his thoughts, and his spirit rose again. I taua po ka haere ano a Tūrongo ki te wahi i tutaki ra raua ko  Māhina-a-rangi. Ka whanga na ia. E kore rawa ia taua wahine e tae mai. Ka rere mai te marama kaore ano a  Māhina-a-rangi. Ka takitaro rawa e oma mai ana taua wahine rere tika tonu mai ki roto i ona ringa takamiri ai. Ka awhi raua te ki te waha te aha.   That night Tūrongo hurried to their trysting-place. For a long time he waited. Would she never come? Presently the moon rose, and  Māhina-a-rangi has not come. After a long time that woman ran straight into his arms to be close. They embraced but did not say anything. I TE WHAREPUNI Ko Tuaka i te wharepuni e korerorero ana ratou ko ona pakeke mo te kawanga o to ratou whare hou. Kua paenga nga korero mo taua take ka tomo atu a  Māhina-a-rangi tika tonu ki te kopaiti i te taha maui o taua whare, ka noho atu ki te taha o tona matua. Ka mea iho a Tuaka ‘he aha tau’? Ka korero tana tamahine mo tona aroha mo Tūrongo. Ka whakarongo te matua a ka mea mai ‘Ka ora koe i a Tūrongo’.   IN THE MEETING HOUSE Tuaka was in the assembly house that night, discussing with the elders the plans for the festivities that had been arranged for the dedication of the new house. The talk had finished when  Māhina-a-rangi entered on the left side of the hall and sat down next to her father. Tuaka asked, "What is it? His daughter told him about her love for Tūrongo. Her father heard her and said, "You will be cherished by Tūrongo." Ko Tūrongo i te mahau ano o te whare e tu ana, ka poroakitia atu kia tomo mai. Ka tu atu a Tuaka ka hongi ki taua rangatira. Ka noho a Tūrongo ki te ihonui ki tawahi mai i a Tuaka, ko te wahi tera i wehea mo nga rangatira o taua iwi.   Tūrongo, who had lingered at the porch-way of the house, was invited to enter. Tuaka rose from his place to hongi with the young chief. Tūrongo then took his place on the iho-nui, the place of honour for visiting chiefs. Kei runga ko Tuaka e mihi ana ki a Tūrongo a katahi ka korero kua whakapuaki a  Māhina-a-rangi i tona aroha mo te rangatira o Tainui engari ra ma Tūrongo ano e korero tana take. Kei runga ko Tūrongo e whakamarama ana i tona tatai ki Tainui waka a ka tono i a  Māhina-a-rangi hei wahine mana. Kei runga ano ko Tuaka ka mea, ‘Me tu koutou ki te korero na koutou hoki tenei tamaiti, mokopuna a  Māhina-a-rangi. KA MARENTIA Ka tu tena ka tu tena kotahi tonu te rangi o te korero he whakaae kia moe a  Māhina-a-rangi i a Tūrongo. Ka paenga nga korero ko nga mahi ngahau awatea atu ana e waiata ana e haka ana. Mutu marika, ka marenatia a  Māhina-a-rangi raua ko Tūrongo i runga ano i nga manaaki a te Tohunga.   Tuaka rose and thanked Tūrongo then announced that  Māhina-a-rangi had expressed his love for the Tainui leader, although Tūrongo will still speak about it. Tūrongo rose, recited his ancestry back to the Tainui waka and asked  Māhina-a-rangi to be his wife. Tuaka also said, 'You need to say that this child will give grand-children to  Māhina-a-rangi." MARRIED It is said that there was only a single day in which  Māhina-a-rangi was able to sleep with Tūrongo. At a distance from them, the time was passed enjoyably with songs and haka. When they finally ended,  Māhina-a-rangi and Tūrongo were married with the blessings of the Tohunga. Ka tae te rongo o te moenga o Tūrongo i a  Māhina-a-rangi ki Kawhia ka tae mai a Tawhao te matua o Tūrongo, ki te mau mai i nga manaaki a Tainui. Rokohanga mai a  Māhina-a-rangi kua hapu. Ka tono a Tawhao kia hoki a Tūrongo ki tona iwi kia whanau atu tana tamaiti matamua ki nga rohe o Tainui. I ata korero a  Māhina-a-rangi ki a Tūrongo ko te ki a ona matua wahine he tane tana tamaiti ina hoki te kowatawata o tona kanohi, mehemea hoki i ta pouri i porangorango ranei he wahine, ko ta te Maori enei o mua iho.   The account of the marriage of Tūrongo and  Māhina-a-rangi in time reached Kawhia, and Tawhao's father, Tūrongo, came to bring Tainui's blessings.  Māhina-a-rangi had become pregnant, and Tawhao asked Tūrongo to return to his people so that his first child could be born on Tainui land.   Māhina-a-rangi had confided in Tūrongo, and told him that the mothers of the tribe had assured her that the child would be a son, because of her clear complexion. If her face had been blotched or had become freckled the child would be a daughter—so believed the Maori then. Ko te hokinga o Tawhao raua ko Tūrongo ki Kawhia a i te taenga atu ka poroakitia atu tana tama a Whatihua kia houhoua te rongo ki tona taina. KA WHAKAKAINGA Kua korero ra a Tawhao ko ona whenua ki te tuawhenua mo Tūrongo na reira ka whakatika taua maia ratou ko etahi o tona iki ka haere ki Mangaorongo ka hangaia tona whare a Rangiatea a ka whanga kia tae atu tona hoa rangatira a  Māhina-a-rangi.   Tawhao and Tūrongo now returned to Kawhia, and on their arrival Tawhao called his two sons together and brought about a reconciliation. PREPARING A NEW HOME Tawhao then directed Tūrongo to go inland with a number of his people and on the banks of the Mangaorongo, a tributary of the Waipa River, he established his home, which he called Rangiatea. And there he awaited the coming of his darling  Māhina-a-rangi. Ka haere ra a  Māhina-a-rangi ratou ko tona iwi, kei te whakatata tana tamaiti, me nga koha, ta te rangatira tana haere. Ka haere hoki i a ia te kuri a Tūrongo hei hopu kai ki te huarahi a hei kaiarahi hoki mo ratou ana tae ki nga rohe kua taunga ia. I haere a  Māhina-a-rangi ma te Wairoa katahi ka piki ma nga pae maunga o Waikaremoana a ki Rotorua.   Meanwhile,  Māhina-a-rangi, her child's birth then being near, set out from her home with a large retinue. She also took Tūrongo's dog, as it would also be able to guide them when they reached territory it was familiar with. The party first travelled along the Wairoa, and then proceeded inland over the Waikaremoana ranges to Rotorua. I Rotorua ka haere ma Okaroire. Kua uru ratou kei nga rohe o Tainui a hei te manaki a te tangata kainga kau ana. Ka tae ki Okoroire ka whakamamae a  Māhina-a-rangi ko te nohonga iho ki reira whakawhanau ai. He puia i taua wahi. Ka whanau te tamaiti, he tane a ka huaina te puia ko Te Waitakahanga-a- Māhina-a-rangi.     From Rotorua they went on to a place near Okoroire. They were now in Tainui territory and had been delayed by the hospitality of the villagers. When they came to Okoroire,  Māhina-a-rangi went into labour and settled there. Some hot springs were in that area, and  Māhina-a-rangi gave birth to a son nearby. The pool where she bathed herself and her baby son was named The Waters-wherein-Bathed- Māhina-a-rangi. Ka pai ake i tona whanautanga, ko te haerenga o  Māhina-a-rangi a ka tae ki te awa o Waikato i raro atu o Te Hautapu a ka whakawhiti ma te kuititanga o taua awa. Kua tae te kuri a Tūrongo ki ona takahanga waewae ka mahue iho a  Māhina-a-rangi kua motio iho ra kei te whakatata ki Rangiatea. Ka haere te kuri ra ka tae ki a Tūrongo. Ko te whakatikatanga mai o taua maia me tana ope me te kawenga kai ma  Māhina-a-rangi ratou ko tana ope.   When she had recovered from giving birth,  Māhina-a-rangi went on and came to the Waikato river at what is now called the ‘Narrows’, below the modern town of Cambridge, and crossed the river there. Tūrongo's dog had reached familiar territory, so it left  Māhina-a-rangi behind and headed for Rangiatea and fetched Tūrongo, who soon arrived with his followers, laden with food supplies for  Māhina-a-rangi and her retinue. KOTAHI ANO Ka tae mai a Tūrongo ka awhi i tana wahine ka wehe raua ki ta raua tama. Uina ake te haerenga ki Rangiatea a e pae mai ana a Tawhao ratou ko ona iwi ki te manaaki i ta ratou taonga me te mokopuna a Tainui.   TOGETHER AGAIN Tūrongo came and embraced his wife and their son. They then completed the journey to Rangiatea, where Tawhao and his people had gathered to bless their treasured Tainui grandchild. Ka tohia e Tawhao tana mokopuna i te tuahu e tiro iho ra ki Mangaorongo. Ko nga matua ano e tu atu ana a ka whakahuaina te ingoa mo ta raua tamaiti ka mea atu te tane ‘Kaore he ingoa ke atu mo ta taua tamaiti heoi ano ko Raukawa’ ko te wahine ‘Ae ko ta taua Raukawa.’   Tawhao placed his grandson on the earth altar overlooking the Mangaorongo stream. The parents stood up to pronounce the name for their child, and the husband said, "There is no other name for our boy, but Raukawa" and the woman said, "Yes, that's our Raukawa." Ka mutu ra nga korero mo Tūrongo raua ko  Māhina-a-rangi, i to raua hononga ka hono hoki nga tatai nunui o te Tairawhiti ki nga tatai o nga iwi o Tainui.   We conclude the story of Tūrongo and  Māhina-a-rangi by linking them to the main genealogical lines of the East Coast and Tainui.