Our Pūrākau

Rakinui (sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother) were deeply in love. Initially they were entwined in a deep embrace, however their tamariki got frustrated with being trapped between them and so they separated them and light fell in between.

Rakinui had sons from a previous relationship, and Aoraki and his brothers wanted to meet their stepmother. They came down from the heavens, where they were living with their father, in their waka to visit their stepmother Papatūānuku.

While on their visit, they encountered a great storm and while reciting a karakia to return them to safety, they made a mistake which caused their waka to be upturned. 

Aoraki and his brothers climbed onto the upturned waka where they turned to stone and they can now be seen as the principle mountains of the Southern Alps, of which Aoraki (Mt Cook) is the highest. It is from this story that the South Island is also referred to as ‘Te Waka o Aoraki.’

Following the wreckage of te waka o Aoraki, Rakinui sent his three mokopuna, Tūterakiwhanoa, Marokura and Kahukura from the heavens to transform the waka into land that would sustain human life. 

Tūterakiwhanoa had a difficult job gathering together the broken pieces so he could carve the keel of the upturned waka into other mountains and valleys. To help stabilise himself, he dug his heel into Papatūānuku, creating a permanent indentation in the land, which was soon to fill with water.