Turi Street

Turi Street is named after the Captain of the Aotea waka. 

Turi, along with his original whānau, is believed to have lived on the South Pacific Island of Rangiātea, about 200km from Tahiti. Legend has it that he had a bloody dispute with a neighbouring chief, Uenuku. Turi had made an offering to Uenuku that upset him, so Uenuku had killed Turi's son, Potikiroroa. In an act of reprisal, Turi killed Uenuku's son, Awepotiki, and cooked his heart which he then gave as another offering to Uenuku. When Uenuku found out what the offering was, he amassed a great force to attack Turi and his people. Remaining on Rangiātea would have meant certain death, so Turi fled Rangiātea in the waka called Aotea that he got from his father-in-law, Toto.

Eventually Aotea made landfall in Aotearoa at Hawaiki-iti in Aotea harbour just north of Kāwhia. There is a saying associated with the Aotea which is: E kore e ngaro te kakano i ruia mai i Rangiātea, meaning "I will never be lost, for I am the seed that was sown at Rangiātea", which is why many believe the origin of the Aotea to be the island of Rangiātea.

Turi and his people disembarked and, made their way to Pātea on foot. Along the journey, many natural landmarks were named by Turi. These included Marakopa, Waitara and the Urenui. Turi and his party finally arrived on the banks of the Pātea River.  It was here that he chose to begin his new life. Turi's wife Rongorongo planted a crop of kumara symbolic, perhaps, of planting the roots of a new settlement. His children married and started their own families. The whānau prospered and grew. Today the Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Ruahine and Ngā Rauru tribes of south Taranaki are all said to have descended from Turi's whānau.

There is a memorial to Turi and his people in Pātea, unveiled in 1933. This depicts Turi, his whānau and the waka. Next time you are passing through Patea look out for it; you may even have time to stop to ponder the origins of this historic settlement.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.