Whakatane

The main Maori fleet arrived in 1340 from Hawaiki to New Zealand under the guidance of the famous chief-navigator Toroa, landing at Whakatane. His daughter, Wairaka, bravely saved the women and children by “acting like a man” when they were left alone in a canoe, which started to drift out to sea and she defied the “tapu” forbidding her to handle the oars. These are some of the Maori symbols that are proudly displayed in the town around the coast – 11th June 2019