Maungapohatu
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Maungapohatu Maungapōhatu |
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| Etymology: rocky mountain | |
 Maungapohatu
Location of Maungapohatu
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| Coordinates: 38°34′14″S 177°05′43″E / 38.57056°S 177.09528°ECoordinates: 38°34′14″S 177°05′43″E / 38.57056°S 177.09528°E | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
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| Island | North Island |
| Region | Bay of Plenty |
| Territorial authority | Whakatane |
| Settled by Māori | 1907 |
| Elevation | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
Maungapohatu is a settlement in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. Located in a remote area of the Urewera bush country about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Lake Waikaremoana, it was founded by Rua Tapunui Kenana in 1907 and was substantially rebuilt twice during the next two decades. At its peak more than 500 people lived there but today it is once more a very sparsely populated place.
It lies at the foot of the 1366 metre mountain of the same name, which is sacred to the Tūhoe iwi.
Te Urewera is a thickly forested hill country to the northeast of Lake Taupo. It is the historical home of the Tūhoe, an iwi known for their stance on Māori sovereignty. Today, much of the land is contained within Te Urewera National Park, which has an area of 2,126 square kilometres (821 sq mi) and which in 2013 had a population of only 2,133. The State Highway 38 is the only major arterial road that crosses it, running from Waiotapu near Rotorua via Murupara to Wairoa.
Because of its isolation and dense forest, Te Urewera remained largely untouched by British colonists until the early 20th century; in the 1880s it was still in effect under Māori control and few Pākehā were prepared to risk entering the area.
Following Premier Richard Seddon’s visit to Te Urewera in 1894 the Tūhoe chief Tutakangahau requested a Union Flag from the government. This flew at the Maungapohatu marae from at least 1897. The words “Kotahi Te Ture/Mo Nga Iwi E Rua/ Maungapōhatu” (One law/for both peoples/Maungapōhatu) were stitched onto it and it had been created as a sign of a peaceful relationship with the Crown. The words were chosen to affirm “the important principle that the dominant culture should not pass laws discriminating against Māori.”
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Wikipedia