Waharoa and Te Heketanga-a-Rangi
(Heavenly Orgins)
The entryway into Te Puia is marked by a set of 5 carved waharoa (gateways), each slightly smaller than the first.
Each of the layers of the waharoa represents, according to Māori, the 5 stages of development in the creation of the physical world. The stages represented start with the initial reaction of atmospheric gases through to the development of a flourishing natural world.
Through this portal visitors enter Te Heketanga-a-Rangi (Heavenly Origins) – a place representing the spiritual beliefs of Māori. This space was opened in 2007 as part of a major redevelopment project at Te Puia.
Te Heketanga-a-Rangi (Heavenly Origins)
This space welcomes manuhiri (visitors) into Te Puia while acknowledging our creation stories, which are the foundation of our worldview. Twelve monumental posts spiral skywards towards the heavens, each representing a divine realm in Te Arawa culture. The posts are embellished by steel kōwhaiwhai (visual art works) created by renowned designer Carin Wilson.
Spiritual and physical worlds
The posts are composed in two sets – each set ascending upwards. At the top of each set of posts are carved representations of our cosmos. One set – Te Ara Tapu (the sacred pathway) – represents constellations to guide our wairua (spirits) back to our spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. The other set represents constellations to guide harvesting in the physical world.
Carved guardians
Each of the realms has a carved guardian at its base, designed and carved by Te Puia’s carving school. The first realm is guarded by Puhaorangi (Gentle Breath of Heaven) and the last by Io Matua Kore (Io the Parentless). The complete structure is figuratively embraced by Ranginui (sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother).
Divine Connection
Like most cultures, Māori have traditions and stories about unions between gods and mortals. The tradition of Puhaorangi (Gentle Breath of Heaven) is one such story.
Puhaorangi had a unique ability to see and travel between realms, including to earth. One day when peering down to earth, a mortal woman by the name of Te Kura-i-Monoa caught his eye. At night he travelled to earth in the form of a manu (bird) and rested on the lap of Te Kura-i-Monoa. Shortly after, she realised she was pregnant with a son which she named Ohomairangi (Surprise from Heaven).
Ohomairangi
Ohomairangi is the principle ancestor of Te Arawa people. Prior to leaving the original homeland in the Pacific, the tribal name for Te Arawa was Ngāti Ohomairangi. The term ‘Te Heketanga-a-Rangi’ or ‘Heavenly Origins’ was coined to remember Te Arawa’s connection to Puhaorangi.
Io the parentless
Each of the carved guardians has been designed wearing a korowai (cloak). The carved designs on each of the cloaks symbolises the deity’s characteristics or represents the realm they protect.
Each of the guardians is portrayed the same, with the exception of Io Matua Kore (Io the parentless). His cloak is open and displays the pattern Te Ara Poutama a Tawhaki (Tawhaki’s Pathway) – the pathway to enlightenment.
Io resides in the uppermost realm and is the most sacred of all the deities. In the beginning it was Io that created Ranginui (skyfather) and Papatūānuku (earth mother).
