by Rāwiri Taonui
Tāmaki (Auckland) is a landscape dominated by volcanoes. In the tradition of one tribe, they were created when the goddess Mahuika sent fire to warm Mataaho, whose wife had left him and taken all his clothes. In another dramatic version of their creation, the volcanoes were produced when priests chanted spells to send down sunrays, setting the isthmus alight.
Today, the volcanoes are dormant, but Tāmaki’s six tribes are very much a part of the cultural landscape.
Main image: View of Tāmaki (Auckland) from Mt Eden, 2004
 | |
 |
