Te Ao-kapurangi: A Wahine of Courage

Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Tapuika

Te Ao-kapurangi was born to Te Arawa people but when she was still just a girl she was captured by, and then married to, Hauraki, a leader of the Ngā Puhi people, and taken away to live among them in the north.

Years later, Ngā Puhi returned to the Bay of Plenty and found themselves at war with the people of Tūhourangi and Ngāti Whakaue.

Hearing that Ngā Puhi were coming to fight them, some Te Arawa people fled to Mokoia Island in search of safety. Although Te Ao-kapurangi was now married to a Ngā Puhi chief, she was still connected to her Te Arawa whānau and was worried for them. She reminded Ngā Puhi that the people they were now at war with were not Ngāti Rangiwewehi or Tapuika people (Te Ao-kapurangi’s relatives), but they too lived in the area and would probably be caught up in the battle.

The leaders listened to her and agreed that she could go ahead to the island and warn her whānau to go to a safe place before the battle began. When she grew close to the island, she was able to call out to one of her relatives, named Hikairo, but he replied that he would not abandon his Te Arawa whānau and would stay where he was.

Te Ao-kapurangi was still desperate to save her relatives, so she begged the Ngā Puhi leader Hongi Hika to show them mercy. He said that he would only save those who could pass between Te Ao-kapurangi’s thighs at the time of the battle.

Now, Te Ao-kapurangi was a clever and brave woman, and when the time came for the battle to begin, she jumped ashore and ran to Tamatekapua, the whare (house) of her whānau. She climbed up onto the roof of the building and sat with her legs on either side of the ridgepole. She shouted out as strongly as she could for everyone to run inside the building so that they might be saved. Many people came flocking inside, and the Ngā Puhi warriors let them enter because of the deal Te Ao-kapurangi had made with Hongi Hika.

Te Ao-kapurangi saved many lives that day and she is remembered for her courage and resourcefulness even to this day.

This is a well-known Te Arawa whakataukī that refers Te Ao-kapurangi’s act of courage, and is often used when there is a large gathering in our wharenui (meeting house):
“Anō ko te whare whawhao a Te Ao-kapurangi” – Like the crowded house o Te Ao-kapurangi.

This story comes from the original Great Te Arawa Stories website created by Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru (NPeW) Education Trust in 2018. To ensure consistency, minimal updates were made to the text before it was transferred to this new site.

Here’s a tip:
Te Ao-kapurangi’s granddaughter, Rangiwawahia, wrote a very special lament for her grandmother. You can read it here.