The stories of Kupe

Kupe is an important ancestor to the Maori people, and in many but not all iwi narratives he is accredited with being the first Polynesian to discover the islands of Aotearoa New Zealand.

There are numerous stories, songs and places associated with Kupe, and though they vary by iwi, all are significant to those who hold them.

Journey into the unknown

The story of Kupe and his journey is generally accepted to have begun in his homeland of Raiatea or Hawaiki, where his people encountered difficulties while fishing. The source of their misfortune was revealed to be a giant octopus that would come to be known as Te Wheke o Muturangi so named because it belonged to Muturangi, a rival of Kupe who had instructed his pet to prevent Kupe and his people from fishing. After confronting Muturangi to call off his pet with no avail, Kupe vowed to track and kill the octopus in order to return prosperity to his people.

A mighty battle

Kupe set out with his wife, family, and crew in a great waka (canoe) known as the Matawhaorua, and in some versions he was joined by a second waka named Tawhirirangi which was captained by his friend Ngake or Ngahue.

The pursuit of Te Wheke o Muturangi was long and difficult and it took Kupe and his crew far from their homes. Eventually the great octopus was followed to an ocean which would come to be known as Raukawakawa or Cook straight. Here Kupe and his people engaged the beast in a lengthy battle where it was eventually defeated and killed, and in the process Aotearoa was discovered.

Regional variations

In the far north a slightly different version is told, and it is said that in the pursuit of Te Wheke o Muturangi that Kuramarotini, the wife of Kupe noticed something on the horizon. She is said to have stood within the great waka and cried out to her family and crew “he ao tea roa”, or “a long white cloud” and this is how the islands of Aotearoa gained their name.

Following the clouds observed by Kuramarotini the waka Matawhaorua was then guided by a light reflected from the mountain Ramaroa to a great harbour. Kupe was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the light that he named the harbour “Te Puna O Te Ao Marama”, or “the spring of the world of light”.

This is said to have been the first landing of Kupe and after an extensive exploration of new lands it was from this harbour that Kupe also departed Aotearoa to return to his homeland, he declared “e kore e hokianga mai” or “I shall never return”. It was from this statement that Hokianga Harbour was named and is still known today.

Tūpuna (ancestor)

The arrival of Kupe to Aotearoa is an important event for Maori, and he represents the whakapapa or a genealogical anchor and an ongoing relationship to the whenua or land. Kupe therefore is a prominent ancestor in the whakapapa or genealogies of many iwi and great effort is made to cite an association with him. This is reinforced by the many numerous places named for Kupe, his family and their travels throughout the lands of Aotearoa.

Kupe Sites: A photographic journey | Ngā wāhi a Kupe: He Haerenga Whakaahua

A thousand years ago, the great voyager Kupe made an epic journey from the eastern Pacific across the ocean to a new land. Many traces remain of Kupe’s encounter with our land, which would much later be called New Zealand. They can be found in the names of landmarks in various parts of the country, and even in one of its names – Aotearoa.

Kupe and his stories are of immense importance to the many iwi who trace their whakapapa back through him. The stories of his arrival in Aotearoa vary, but they all celebrate a remarkable voyager who settled a new land, and charted a route across the Pacific for later navigators to follow.

Kupe sailed through the Pacific, arriving at the north-western tip of the new land, where the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea surge and mix together.

^{Papaki tu ana nga tai (The clashing oceans) Cape Reinga, Northland, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007214/04)}

Hokianga Harbour was Kupe’s first landing place in Aotearoa, and the site where he rested before continuing his journey. Local iwi (tribes) recount how Kupe planted kūmara and taro – the first time they were grown in this country. The tidal water of the creek provided him with a plentiful supply of kanae (mullet fish). The name Pākanae (fish trap), a settlement south of Hokianga, comes from the kanae that Kupe trapped in the creek flowing into the harbour.

^{Pa-kanae (Fish trap) Hokianga, Northland, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (O.026937)}

Many iwi (tribes) tell the story of Kupe setting out from his homeland of Hawaiki in pursuit of Te Whekea-Muturangi, a giant octopus. The wheke was the pet of Muturangi, a tohunga (ritual expert) from Hawaiki. Kupe’s pursuit of the wheke carried him along the rocky coastline of Wairarapa. At Rangiwhakaoma (Castlepoint), the wheke fled into a cave, perhaps to lay her eggs or hide. Kupe followed and fought the wheke, but she escaped.

^{Rangi-whakaoma (Castlepoint), Wairarapa, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007216/05)}

Other stories of Kupe tell of his prowess as a builder of waka (canoes). At Cape Palliser, Kupe and his tohunga (ritual expert), Ngake, had a waka-building competition. Kupe was the winner, finishing his waka first, while Ngake failed to complete the task. The Aorangi Range symbolises the upturned hulls of the waka, while the sheer cliffs overlooking the sea represent the sails.

^{Ngā Waka-a-Kupe (Kupe’s canoes), Cape Palliser, Wairarapa, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007216/09)}

Many place names across Aotearoa commemorate Kupe’s family. The story of Kupe’s grief at his daughter’s departure to the South Island is recorded in the name Te Mātakitaki-a-Kupe (the gazing place of Kupe). Kupe would stand on this point, grieving, as he looked south in the direction she had travelled.

^{Te Mātakitaki-a-Kupe (The gazing place of Kupe), Cape Palliser, Wairarapa, 2002. Pho Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007216/04)}

The names of landmarks in and around Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour) and on Wellington’s west coast tell the stories of Kupe’s sojourn there. Te Whanganui-a-Tara provided shelter, food, and a place to repair waka (canoes) damaged by pursuing and battling with the wheke (octopus).

^{Whanga-nui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour) towards Raukawa Moana (Cook Strait) from Breaker Bay, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007213/06)}

Local iwi (tribes) tell how Kupe named the two islands in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour) Matiu and Mākaro after his mokopuna (grandchildren).

^{Matiu and Mākaro (Somes and Ward Islands) Whanga-nui-a-Tara, (Wellington Harbour), 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007213/07)}

Kupe was planning to resume the hunt for the wheke (octopus). In preparation, he is said to have left his family on Mana Island for their own safety. Kupe gave Mana Island the name Te Mana-o-Kupe-kiAotearoa. His daughter Mokohuia suggested the name to recognise Kupe’s mana (prestige) as a voyager to Aotearoa.

^{Te Mana-o-Kupe-ki-Aotearoa (the symbolic presence of Kupe in New Zealand) – Mana Island, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007213/04)}

This sculpture beside Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour) commemorates Kupe’s epic voyage across the waves from the eastern Pacific. It also reflects the words his wife exclaimed on sighting the new land: ‘He ao, he ao, he ao tea, he ao tea roa!’ (A cloud, a cloud, a white cloud, a long white cloud!) Aotearoa became a name for the North Island and, much later, for the whole country.

^{William Trethewy’s bronze statue on Wellington waterfront of Kupe, his wife Hine te Aparangi, and tohunga (ritual expert) Pekahourangi as they sight Aotearoa 2002 Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007213/05)}

Kupe and his tohunga (ritual expert), Ngake, pursued the wheke (octopus) across Raukawa Moana (Cook Strait) to Te Whekenui, the swirling waters at the entrance to Tory Channel. There, after a legendary battle, the wheke was killed.

Afterwards, Kupe paddled his damaged waka (canoe), Matahourua, towards the closest shore. It is said that his canoe hit the bluff, causing the pinnacle of the mast to break. The top of this bluff is said to be this broken mast. The sail drapes over the cliff.

^{Te Taumata-o-Matahourua (the pinnacle of the mast of Matahourua) Parunui-a-whiti (White Bluffs), Wairau Valley, Marlborough, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. CC BY-NC-ND licence. Te Papa (F.007215/09)}

In the currents of French Pass, Marlborough Sounds, Kupe’s pet shag broke its wing and became trapped. At low tide, its outstretched wings can be seen in the reef formation.

^{Te Kawau-a-toru (The pet shag of Kupe) French Pass, Marlborough, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. CC BY-NC-ND licence. Te Papa (F.007215/04)}

Eventually Kupe returned to his homeland, Hawaiki. The landmarks of Hokianga record his preparations for departure. He left his son in the form of a taniwha (guardian) for his descendants. At the headlands of Hokianga Harbour, he placed two taniwha to protect the place and its people. He also dedicated Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) as the place of departure for spirits of the dead to return to Hawaiki.

^{Te Rerenga Wairua (The departing place of the spirits) Cape Reinga, Northland, 2002. Photograph by Michael Hall. Commissioned by Te Papa with Government Capital Grant, 2002. Te Papa (F.007214/01)}

These evocative images of important Kupe sites are just a few of the 36 images produced as part of the exhibition Kupe Sites, developed for touring to venues across Aotearoa.

Further reading

First peoples in Māori tradition, Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

Kupe and the Giant Wheke, Māori myths, Legends, and Contemporary Stories, TKI Te Kete Ipurangi

Are there places named for important or mythic ancestors where you’re from? Do you know any of their stories? How do they connect the people to the land?