Apakura lived in Mangareva and her son Tinaku-te-maku, a handsome youth, sailed to Rangitea to pay court to a woman of rank.
Apakura called up to the birds, asking if they had seen her son alive.
Among the many chants in the story is the lament of Apakura for her dead son, the last verse of which refers to the myth that the moon dies every month but, falling into the Living-waters-of-Tane, comes to life again.
Ngati Apakura used to live at Rangiaowhia (near Te Awamutu), at Ohaupo, and in the district extending to the Waipa River in the direction of Pirongia.
But after the Battle of Orakau in the Waikato War in 1864, Ngati Apakura were thrust out of their homes by the British troops despite the fact that they had not been armed and took no part in the war, and their lands were confiscated.
Ngati Apakura travelled on south to Taupo, settling at Waihi and Tokaanu on the southern shores of the lake.
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