Ngatoroirangi
There are few places in the world where geothermal phenomena such as geysers and mud pools are as extensive and accessible as in Rotorua. In the past, Māori regarded such phenomena as gifts from the gods.
Exploring inland
The earliest stories speak of a man named Ngatoroirangi, a tohunga (high priest) who guided the Te Arawa canoe to this land from Hawaiki – the ancestral homeland of Māori. Anxious to explore, he travelled east from Maketu, down the coast until he reached what is now known as the Tarawera River. Naming it Te Awa-o-te-atua, he turned inland and followed it upstream until he reached Ruawahia, the central peak of Mount Tarawera. Here he had a remarkable experience.
Magic battle
Ngatoroirangi met a spirit in the form of a person named Tama-o-Hoi, who objected to him trespassing over what he claimed as his land. He used sorcery to try and destroy Ngatoroirangi but his power was no match for the tohunga from Hawaiki. Using a much superior spell, Ngatoroirangi caused Tama-o-Hoi to sink into the ground. He then continued on his journey. The great eruption of Tarawera Mountain in 1886 was blamed by some on Tama-o-Hoi who, it was claimed, was so enraged at having been so long confined in the ground that he gave vent to his feelings by causing the disaster.
Praying for help
Ngatoroirangi finally reached the magnificent mountains that now form the Tongariro National Park. In order to view this new land he climbed towards the summit of Mount Ruapehu, the highest of the three mountains there. As he neared the top he was affected by the intense cold which was so severe he feared he would die. In desperation he prayed to his sisters, Te Pupu and Te Hoata for help.
To the rescue
His sisters travelled from far-off in the spiritual homeland, travelling beneath both the sea and land in the form of fire. Wherever they paused and rose to the surface they left part of the fire they carried, creating the geothermal system that remains today.
Their journey included Whakaari, (White Island) twenty-five miles off the coast; as well as Tikitere, Te Whakarewarewa, Waimungu, Waiotapu, Orakei Korako, Wairakei, Tokaanu and finally, the three mountains: Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe.
Ngatoroirangi was saved and the chain of thermal activity has been of great value to the people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) ever since.
