Te rohe
Ka tīmata atu te rohe o Tauranga Moana i Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei ahu atu ki Wairākei i Pāpāmoa, hoki whakauta ki Ōtawa, ki Ōtānewainuku, whakapae atu i te pae maunga o Kaimai, heke iho ana ki Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei. Ko Ngāi Te Rangi, ko Ngāti Ranginui, ko Ngāti Pūkenga ngā iwi tāngata whenua o tēnei rohe.
He pūrākau
Ko Mauao (Maunganui) te maunga tapu e tū ana i te wahapū o Te Awanui, e ai ki ngā kōrero, he maunga kore ingoa i ōna wā e noho ana i raro i te maru o ngā maunga teitei o te wao nui o Hautere. Ka whakaparahakotia a ia e te puke ātaahua e Pūwhenua, he hiahia nōna ki a Ōtānewainuku. I te nui o tōna mate kanehe ka tangi atu a ia ki te iwi tūrehu, kia tōia a ia ki te moana kia mutu ake ai te aroha i a ia. Nō te tatanga atu ki te takutai moana, ka tākiri te ata, ka taki rere te iwi tūrehu, nā te mea he mate kei roto i ngā hihi o te rā mō te hunga hanga atua nei. Nō te mautanga i te pūaotanga o te ata, ka whai mana tēnei toka tū-tahi ā, hei whakamaumaharatanga mō te piki o tōna mana, ka tapaa ia ki te ingoa ‘Mau-ao’, hei whakamaharatanga ake ki tōna ‘mautanga i te ao’.
Ngā waka
Te Arawa
Ko Te Arawa tētahi waka ka whai wāhi ki te moana o Tauranga. I a ia e tere ana i waho o Tauranga ka taunahatia e Hei te rohe o Tauranga hei nohonga mō tana tama mō Waitaha. Nō ngā whakatupuranga i muri i a Waitaha i whakaea tēnei kupu āna.
Tākitimu
I te taunga o Tākitimu (ko Takitimu te whakahua ki ngā iwi o Tauranga Moana) ki Tauranga, i reira ko ngā iwi o Ngā Mārama – mai i a Tainui – rātou ko Te Purukupenga, ko ētahi wāhanga o Te Tini-o-Toi. He waka tapu nui a Tākitimu ā, e ai ki te kōrero, ko ngā ariki, ko ngā tohunga anahe ngā tāngata i haere mai mā runga i a ia.
Mataatua
I tau mai a Mataatua ki Te Mānuka-tū-tahi i Kākahoroa (Whakatāne). I haere a Muriwai te tuahine o Toroa ki te moana o Tauranga, i reira ka toremi ana tama tokorua. Koirā te puakitanga o tana kupu whakarāhui i Te Moana-a-Toi mai i Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei i te uru ki Tihirau i te rāwhiti; e mōhiotia nuitia ana ko tēnei te rohe o Mataatua. Heke iho ai i tēnei waka ngā iwi o Ngāi Te Rangi rāua ko Ngāti Pūkenga.