Tainui Street sign (2009). Mike Gooch. Word on the Street image collection.
Tainui Street sign (2009). Mike Gooch. Word on the Street image collection.
Tainui Street was named after the waka Tainui which, like many of the legendary canoes, set sail to Aotearoa from Hawaiki. It is said that Tainui was the name given to a miscarried child of Hinekura and Tinirau. A tree grew in the place the child was buried and it is from this tree that the waka was built. It was captained by Hoturoa.
According to legend, the Tainui's first landing in Aotearoa was at Whangaparāoa in the Bay of Plenty. From there, Tainui and its crew travelled northward to Tauranga, around the Coromandel Peninsula, to arrive at Torpedo Bay. They then sailed up the Tāmaki River and carried the canoe across the isthmus to the Manukau Harbour. The canoe continued its voyage along the coast to Mōkau.
Many of the crew disembarked along its journey and created settlements. It is not surprising therefore that several hapū and iwi are associated with the Tainui.
Upon hearing of the stranded waka, tribal leaders, including Hoturoa, decided to refloat it and sail it to its final resting place at Kāwhia. Today, two stones mark its place of burial.
Further details can be found in the book Tainui: the story of Hoturoa and his descendants by Leslie G. Kelly, a reference only copy is available at Puke Ariki.
This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.
Please do not reproduce these images without permission from Puke Ariki.
Contact us for more information or you can order images online here.
The information on this website is provided for general research and reference only. While we try to keep content accurate and current, we make no guarantees about its completeness or correctness. It should not be considered a replacement for a LIM or a Property Report. Some content is supplied by third parties. Puke Ariki has not verified this content and users should check its accuracy before relying on it.The inclusion of a building on the website does not imply heritage status. See SCHED1 in the NPDC District Plan for a list of buildings that have rules about what can happen to or around them (administered by NPDC). See the New Zealand Heritage List for a list of buildings that are celebrated for their heritage significance but are not subject to rules (administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga). Should any corrections need to be made to the records or for more information please contact us.
