Te Wai Tuku Kiri: The Waters of Our Ancestors

Taumutu Rūnanga is one of the rūnaka who care for Te Waihora on behalf of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Te Waihora is an ecological treasure for Aotearoa. Traditionally the lake was home to an abundance of mahika kai. However the famed mahika kai was severely degraded, largely as a result of agricultural land use, lower lake levels due to drainage to the sea, and the loss of its significant wetland buffer. Significant efforts are now underway to address this. In the past, the lake was much higher. When the lake reached the point of breaching the spit, a kōrari or the flowering stalks of harakeke was dragged across the sand to make the initial opening of the water to the sea. This management allowed for the regular passage of fish to and from the lake and maintained the abundant kai and resource.

[b]Te Kete Ika a Tūtekawa[/b] Tūtekawa was an ancestor of Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu and Kāti Māmoe descent. He gained notoriety in the Ngāi Tahu story for both saving the chief, Tūāhuriri and then for killing Tūāhuriri’s wives Hinekaitaki and Tuarāwhati. Having escaped Tūāhuriri’s vengence, Tūtekawa travelled to the South Island and settled at Ōkohana Church Bush, Kaiapoi. Hearing of the plentiful supply of good quality eels in Te Waihora, Tūtekawa re-established himself on the shores of the lake, building a pā, Waikākahi, on the shingle spit near the entrance of Wairewa (Lake Forsyth). During this period the lake began to be referred to as Te Kete Ika a Tūtekawa, the fish basket of Tūtekawa. [b]Te Waihora[/b] This name refers to the expanse of water. The bounty of the lake, tributaries and wetlands provided for those living at Taumutu and afforded them a ready currency for bartering with other hapū. [b]Lake Ellesmere[/b] The name Ellesmere comes from the Earl of Ellesmere who was a member of the Canterbury Association and promoted the early settlement of Canterbury.

[b]Te Waihora Key Tributaries[/b] There are seven key tributaries to the lake. These include Kaituna, Huritini/Halswell River, Ararira/LII River, Waikirikiri/Selwyn River, Waiwhio/Irwell Stream, Waitātari/Harts Creek and Waikēkēwai. [b]Waikirikiri[/b] Numerous kāika and mahika kai existed along the course of Waikirikiri. This included the key settlement of Te Waikari near modern day Chamberlains Ford. The river and its surrounds were important for tuna, inaka, pūtakitaki, pārera, pākura and aruhe. [b]Waiwhio and Waitātari[/b] The swampy surrounds of Te Waihora, and the rivers and streams which were part of these wetlands, included the Waiwhio/Irwell River and Waitātari/Harts Creek. These areas provided the prime environment for native fish such as tuna and waterfowl such as pūtakitaki. [b]Waikēkēwai[/b] Waikēkēwai originates just south of Southbridge and flows past both Te Pā o Moki and Orariki, before entering the lake at Te Koru. Waikēkēwai, like the Waiwhio and Waitātari are spring fed rivers, prized for their very clear and cool waters. [b]Muriwai-o-whata[/b] Muriwai-o-whata also known as Muriwai or Coopers Lagoon is a small coastal lagoon, just south of Taumutu. The lagoon is considered a ‘mini’ Waihora, and is renowned for a special variety of eel. As the late Cath Brown stated, ‘and infact, the place at which they were favoured, where they best liked catching our eels, was at Coopers Lagoon, Muriwai. And those eels had a thinner skin and better flavour. Those were the ones that the families especially liked to catch’. The bed of Muriwai-o-whata was also returned to Ngāi Tahu as part of its settlement, and is subject to a management plan. [b]Te Awa Punapuna[/b] This is a key tributary to Muriwai, flowing from a springhead located near the end of McLachlans Road.

[b]Rakaia[/b] The area around the mouth of the Rakaia River, which includes the Rakaia lagoon and Rakaia Island, is part of a wider cultural landscape extending to Taumutu and Kaitorete Spit in the north. The Rakaia River possesses a range of characteristics that are considered to be outstanding for spiritual, cultural and environmental reasons and fundamental to the relationship of Ngāi Tahu to the Rakaia River. The river was also an important trail to Te Tai Poutini , the West Coast. A considerable number of recorded Māori archaeological sites exist in this area. Once the site of extensive settlement, the Rakaia River mouth continues to be important for mahika kai, historical and cultural heritage values. Ōtepeka, Tahuatao, Te Awa Tūmatakuru, Te Hemoka o Pakake and Te Waipōhatu are settlements, food gathering and production sites at or near the river mouth. The area surrounding and including the Rakaia Huts settlement is recognised as one of the most important complexes of archaeological sites in the South Island and is registered as a wāhi taoka and wāhi tapu management area. The cultural significance of the area and the nature of current land use (i.e. Rakaia Huts settlement, campground and rural area) means that there is a risk to archaeological and cultural values. Coastal erosion, the changing dynamics of the hāpua and pressure from development are all threats to this area. Tūterakiwhanoa, the atua tiaki who resides at Whakamātakiuru Fisherman’s Point also protects the Rakaia River and is said to move between the two using underground streams. Early tradition speaks of a battle between Tūterakiwhanoa and Te Mauru (the North West Wind) resulting in the creation of the Rakaia Gorge.