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The Hokianga Harbour, also known as The Hokianga River or more frequently simply as The Hokianga is a long estuarial drowned valley and its surrounding area on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand.
The original name, still used by local Maori is Te Kohanga o Te Tai Tokerau ("The nest of the northern people") or Te Puna o Te Ao Marama ("the wellspring of moonlight"). As if all those names were not enough, the full name of the Harbour is Te Hokianga-nui-a-Kupe - "The place of Kupe's great return".
Geography The Hokianga is located in the Far North District, which is part of the Northland Region, and is 85 kilometres northwest of Whangarei and 25 kilometres west of Kaikohe. The estuary extends inland for 30 kilometres from the Tasman Sea. It is navigable for small craft for much of its length, although there is a bar across the mouth.
The area around the harbour is naturally divided in three by the estuary. To the south are the settlements of Waimamaku, Omapere, Opononi, Pakanae, Koutu, Whirinaki, Rawene, Waima, and Taheke; to the north are Broadwood, Pawarenga, Panguru, Mitimiti, Rangi Point, and Kohukohu; and at the top of the harbour are Horeke and Mangamuka.
History It is considered to be one of the oldest settlements for the Maori, and is still a heartland for the people. Rahiri, the 17th century founder of the Ngapuhi iwi was born at Whiria pa to the south of the harbour, where a monument now stands to his memory.
The communities of Horeke and Rawene are the second and third oldest European settlements in New Zealand. The Mangungu Mission House near Horeke was the site of the second signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on 12 February 1840. Rawene is still the most important of the coastal settlements in the Hokianga.
The relationship between Maori and Pakeha (European) settlers was frequently tense, never more so than during the Dog Tax War of the 1890s, which was largely centred around Hokianga.
Industry The first major industry of the region was based around the kauri trees, both logging and the gum, the strong thick resin which came from the trees. After the forests started to thin, dairying and cheese production took over as the mainstay of the economy, but they too have fallen away. For a while during the 1970s and 1980s, there was little economic base for the area, and it became a haven for alternative lifestylers.
In recent years, however, tourism has become of significance to the region. Attractions such as the kauri of the Waipoua Forest (including the country's tallest tree, Tane Mahuta, beaches, historic buildings, nature walks, horse trekking, boat trips, and fishing.
Hokianga celebrities Two iconic and very different figures in New Zealand history have been closely associated with the Hokianga.
Mother of the nation Dame Whina Cooper was born at Te Karaka, Hokianga on 9 December 1895, the daughter of a Maori leader of the Te Rarawa iwi.
From an early age she showed an interest in local community affairs and politics, and her flair and abilities led to her becoming the undisputed Maori leader of the northern Hokianga by her mid-30s.
In 1949 she moved to Auckland, and by 1951 she was elected first president of the new Maori Women’s Welfare League. The leage’s success was largely due to Whina’s efforts, and she became well-known throughout the country. In 1957 she stepped down as president and the annual conference rewarded her with the title Te Whaea o te Motu ("Mother of the Nation").
Whina Cooper continued to work for the community throughout the 1960s, but it was her 1975 leadership of a hikoi - a symbolic march - to protest against the loss of Maori land for which she is best remembered. The march, from the northern tip of the North Island to Parliament in Wellington at the other end of the island made her nationally recognised, with her determined figure, no longer strong in body but strong in mana and will, walking at the head of the march from Te Hapua to Wellington.
She was made a DBE in 1981 and a member of the Order of New Zealand in 1991. Whina Cooper had returned to Panguru in the Hokianga in 1983. She died there on 26 March 1994 at the age of 98.
Iconic dolphin Opononi became famous throughout New Zealand during 1955 and 1956 due to the exploits of a dolphin (nicknamed "Opo"). Opo was a wild dolphin who started following fishing boats around Opononi after her mother had been killed, and would swim daily in the bay close to town. Unlike the majority of dolphins, she had no qualms about human company, and would perform stunts for locals and allow children to swim alongside her.
The dolphin became a local celebrity but news of her soon spread, and visitors from throughout the country would come to watch her. She stayed in the waters around the town for two summers, before sadly being accidentally killed by fishermen. Her death was reported nationwide, and she was buried with full Maori honours in a special plot next to the town hall.
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