Whakaahurangi Trail Plaque - 1959

The Whakaahurangi Trail Plaque is located next to Kahouri Bridge near Kopuatama Cemetery, East Road, Stratford.

The NZ Historic Places Trust plaque marks the Whakaahurangi trail which crossed here. The trail was the major route from north to south Taranaki for many hundreds of years.

The name is derived from a journey made by a woman, Ruaputahanga, as she made her way back to her people in south Taranaki from Kawhia. Near present day Stratford, she slept looking up at the sky and the trail received it's name - Whakaahu-rangi or "turned towards the sky."

In 1842-43 a bridle path, which followed much of the trail was cut by Māori labourers under the supervision of the Nairn brothers of New Plymouth. One of the parties began at Mataitawa in the north and the second from the south.

The trail marker was unveiled on 21 March 1959.

There were, apparently, some questions regarding the siting of the trail marker and whether the remains at Kahouri Bridge were that of the Whakaahurangi or of the branch track to Ohura.

Plaque Inscription

[NZHPT Logo]

WHAKAAHU RANGI

ANCIENT MAORI TRAIL

FROM KAIROA PA NEAR LEPPERTON

TO KETEMARAE PA NEAR NORMANBY 

Documents

Plaque marks historic Maori bush trail, Source unknown, undated

Stratford Heritage Register, Stratford District Council

Whakaahurangi Track map, north and south, Taranaki Regional Committee of the National Historic truct Board files, 1959-1960. Collection of Puke Ariki (ARC2019-069

Websites

New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Taranaki branch, Box 1, Ancient Highways, Puke Ariki Collection (ARC2019-067)

Books

Primitive Economics of the New Zealand Maori, Raymond Firth, 1st ed. 1929. Pages 434-437. (TRCM306.3 FIR)