A Gift to New Zealand
Tongariro National Park was created from a nucleus of land centred on the summits of Mounts Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, that was gifted in 1887 to the Nation of New Zealand by Te Heuheu, Chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa Maori tribe.
Amidst conflicting land claims by neighbouring Maori tribes, and encroachment by European pastoral farmers, the aim was to protect this 'most feared and revered of all the sacred mountains of the Maori' from subdivision and sale. Te Heuheu mentioned the national park status in his official correspondence to the Government.
The preliminary deed of gift, written on a sheet of foolscap paper, was sent to the Government. The deed, dated September 23rd, 1887, was made between To Heuheu Tukino, ' aboriginal native chief of the Colony of New Zealand ' and Her Majesty the Queen.
Tongariro National park was formally constituted by Act of Parliament in 1894. Close to a hundred years later, the park was awarded its dual World Heritage Site status.
Pacific Rim of Fire
The Ngati Tuwharetoa people are descendants of the powerful Tohunga and great navigator, Ngatoroirangi who piloted the great waka ‘Te Arawa’ to Aotearoa (New Zealand). After a long journey from Hawaikii they made landfall at Maketu on the east cape of the North Island, New Zealand, then made their way to the inland regions of the Taupo district.
In order to claim the lands of Tongariro, Ngatoroirangi had to be the first to stand on its summit. While atop the mountain the southerly wind whipped his face, icy gales took the warmth from his body while the frozen volcano cut painfully into his feet. As he lay dying he called to his sisters Kuiwai and Haungaroa in Hawaikii, the traditional Polynesian homeland of the Maori, to send fire to warm him. His prayer was answered, via the channel we now call the Pacific Rim of Fire, and the mountain erupted.
The DoC Visitor Information Centre in Whakapapa Village has displays and also a range of books for sale on Maori legends and the cultural history of the Tongariro National Park. The Visitor Centre is well worth a visit while staying with us.
