Story: First peoples in Māori tradition

Kupe’s places around Cook Strait (2nd of 3)

Kupe’s places around Cook Strait

Kupe and his followers stayed for a time on the Wairarapa coast at Kawakawa, named after a mourning wreath his daughter made from the kawakawa shrub. He named the rocks from which he could see Te Tapuae-o-Uenuku (the highest mountain in the South Island’s Kaikōura Range) Mātakitaki (gazing out). Kupe eventually moved to Wellington Harbour. Barrett Reef, at the harbour entrance, is known as Te Tangihanga-o-Kupe (the mourning of Kupe) in reference to the sorrowful sound made by the waters around it.

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How to cite this page:

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, 'First peoples in Māori tradition - Kupe', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/map/2389/kupes-places-around-cook-strait (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 8 Feb 2005