Tainui Street

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.