Huarere settlement The area originally belonged to
Ngāti Huarere, who gave it to
Ngāti Tamaterā in recognition of their help after a conflict with
Ngāti Hei. They gave it to
Ngāti Porou, who had used it as a shelter during trading trips to
Auckland, in thanks for assistance against the
Ngā Puhi in the
Musket Wars of the early 19th century. Upon the arrival of
Te Arawa to New Zealand, the descendants of
Huarere, a grandson of
Tama-te-kapua, and
Hei, an uncle of Tama-te-kapua spread out vastly. Originally, Harataunga was territory of
Ngāti Hako. However, after the colonisation of Hauraki by the Arawa peoples, Harataunga fell into the hands of Ngāti Huarere. Harataunga remained under Ngāti Huarere, until 1640, when Huarere gifted it to
Ngāti Tamaterā, after aiding the Huarere peoples in conflicts with Ngāti Hei. Harataunga was inhabited by the Huarere hapū of Ngāti Raukatauri, and Ngāti Piri. Twenty years after the gifting to Tamaterā, Paeke, a great-grandson of Raukatauri, became
rangatira of the local Ngāti Huarere. Great strife followed, when two other hapū of Ngāti Huarere, Ngāti Inu and the aforementioned Ngāti Piri, trespassed on Ngāti Raukatauri fishing grounds at Pungarewa Reef, between Harataunga and Ahuahu. Paeke, along with his son, Tairinga, witnessed this trespass, and set out with an
ope tauā. Here, at Pungarewa, Paeke was killed. On the contrary, Tairinga managed to defeat and pursue the Ngāti Inu and Ngāti Piri to
Whangapoua, but alas, he returned to Harataunga. Te Paea o Hauraki Marae is located at Kennedy Bay. It is a tribal meeting ground for
Ngāti Tamaterā and includes Te Paea meeting house. Alongside Te Paea o Hauraki Marae is Harataunga Marae, also known as Rākairoa. Harataunga Marae, carved by
Pakariki Harrison, is a meeting ground for the descendants of
Ngāti Porou ki Harataunga, consisting of: • Rākairoa - The whare tipuna. • Ngaropi - The wharekai, named after Heni Ngaropi White. • Iritekura - A whare-ako. Both Rākairoa and Iritekura are ancestresses of the local Ngāti Porou. ==Education==