15b. TEWHAREPOURI

15b TE WHAREPOURI/TE UA-MAI-RANGI/TE KAKAPI

Te Wharepouri was one of the principal chiefs of the Nga Motu hapu of Te Atiawa of north Taranaki. The territory of Nga Motu includes the area in the vicinity of the Sugar Loaf Islands at the Port of the modern city of New Plymouth and as such forms the southern limit of Te Atiawa's Taranaki lands. Te Wharepouri was well known to the early European traders at New Plymouth in the late 1820's and it was he who encouraged Richard Barrett and Hakirau (Love) to establish a regular trade route between there and Poihakena (Port Jackson or Sydney, Australia). On one trip Te Wharepouri and several other Nga Motu chiefs even accompanied the vessel to Sydney, returning by way of the Bay of Islands.

Te Wharepouri is probably better known however for his exploits in the Poneke (Port Nicholson, Whanganui-a-tara, or Wellington) area. It is not clear whether Te Wharepouri moved south to Wellington with the rest of Te Atiawa in the late 1820's in the migration known as the Heke-whiri-nui or whether he moved down at some later date. There are references to him being in both places over a number of years.

It is clear that Te Wharepouri had become one of, if not the principal chief of Te Atiawa in the Wellington region by 1840 when the first European settlers whom he befriended were starting to arrive here.

On the poupou in Te Tumu Herenga Waka Te Ua-mai-rangi and Te Kakapi are depicted below Te Wharepouri.