Te Hanga South is situated on the borders of Ngāti Raukawa and Te Arawa in an area where tūpuna of these tribes regularly traversed between the regions of the Tainui, Te Arawa and Tauranga Moana tribes.There are many historical accounts of significance relating to this land. One of the histories attached to the Te Hanga South land is the connection to the birth of Raukawa.

The love story of Tūrongo and Mahinā-a-rangi is a well known story amongst many of the central North Island tribes. It is generally known that prior to Mahinā-a-rangi’s departure from her home in the tribal territory of Ngāti Kahungunu, her husband, Tūrongo returned to Rangiatea (near Otorohanga) to prepare for her arrival and the birth of their child. Tūrongo left his dog with Mahinā-a-rangi to show her the route to Rangiatea.

There are many chapters to the story of Mahinā-a-rangi’s journey to Tūrongo’s home. Te Hanga South shares an important part of the chronicle. The account given for Te Hanga South recounts a portion of the journey after Mahinā-a-rangi had left her home at Te Hauke and commenced her travels northward. When Mahinā-a-rangi and her travelling party reached the top of the Kaimai Range she stopped at the spring at the summit and blessed herself before leaving the coast to travel inland. However when she reached the bottom of the Kaimai range she commenced labour and preparations were made for her to give birth to her child. The river which passes through the Te Hanga block is called Te Rapurapu and refers to the uncertainty of Mahinā-a-rangi’s travelling party about how to make appropriate birth preparations for a woman of Mahinā-a-rangi’s status when in transit. It is here that Mahinā-a-rangi is said to have given birth to her son. It is said that her son was born on Te Hanga South land, washed in Te Rapurapu River and was fed at Ukaipo Marae, at the base of the Kaimai Range.

Mahinā-a-rangi and Tūrongo had agreed that when their child was born, if they had a son, he was to be named Raukawa to commemorate their courtship and the perfume with which Mahinā-a-rangi anointed herself during this time. Other places adjacent to the Te Hanga South land’s also reflect the practices associated with the birth of Raukawa. In accordance with tikanga Māori, new born babies were rocked or pointed towards the four winds. This practice was part of the ritual known as “uruuru-whenua”. The town of Te Poi is named for the ‘poipoia’ (rocking or swinging) of Raukawa by Mahinā-a-rangi.

Mahinā-a-rangi and her party continued on to cross the Waikato River at Arapuni below the current site of Pohara marae. Here she conducted another practice associated with the “uruuru-whenua” ritual. After crossing the River, she removed the clothes from the baby, laid them out to dry, and expressed her breast milk on the ground. This practice was to connect the baby to that land, to indicate a belonging to that region. This is a practice still used by some mothers today, to settle a crying baby.

Understanding the histories that relate to the whenua of Te Hanga South is important for helping current and future custodians of the land make decisions relating to land activities in ways that support, preserve and foster the identity of the land and its people.

The trustees consider that it is important that the history of the land is preserved for future generations and that any future developments have regard for this history. The birth of Raukawa is an event of great significance for the Tainui tribes. However there are also many other significant histories relating to Te Hanga South Trust not told here, and it is hoped that in time these might be collected as a record for future generations of the shareholders.