Te Puna

Place Details

DescriptionTe : The and Puna : Spring.
The Te Puna community can be described as the area bounded by the harbour, the Wairoa River, the Te Puna Stream and Te Rangituanehu (Minden ridge), including Motuhoa Island. The rural community extending beyond the Minden ridge is also included, but there is no precise definition of the southern boundary. Starting from the Te Puna peninsula between the Te Puna Stream and the Wairoa River, the map continues to the south beyond State Highway 2, over the Minden hills and finishes approximately 3.3km from the state highway. The area takes in Quarry Rd., Minden Rd., Junction Rd. and most of Crawford Rd.

Pirirakau are the principal hapū of their tribal area in the Te Puna area. Pirirakau are noted as being a Māori and French community, and take pride in their dual heritage. This information is relayed through whakairo (carvings) in the Iwi's wharenui, the whare tupuna of Pirirakau marae, in church, sports clubs, education centres and in their oral histories and whakapapa.

Pirirakau hapū host four marae; Tutereinga Marae, Poututerangi Marae, Paparoa Marae and Tawhitinui Marae, which are located within the Te Puna and Whakamarama areas. They are the nucleus of Pirirakau, a complex of components which blend to care and nurture the hapū’s spiritual and physical needs. Pirirakau hapū maintain their own autonomy but also have strong and close ties with the three iwi in Tauranga Moana: Ngati Ranginui Iwi, Ngaiterangi Iwi and Ngati Pukenga.

Other European influences arise from the small nucleus of settlers who managed to establish a somewhat precarious toehold in the region as a result of the failed settlement of the Te Puna Township. This was first surveyed by Theophilus Heale in 1865 and more or less abandoned due to a lack of planning and a hasty and ill-conceived attempt at settlement of ex-soldiers of the First Waikato Regiment with little or no farming experience. Added to this the ongoing hostilities between local iwi and the Government representatives of the time and a lack of basic infrastructure and supply lines, ensured that the township was doomed.

Happily, Te Puna is now a thriving, unified community and boasts one of the premier recreational facilities in the region, the Te Puna Quarry Park. It is an attractive rural area for lifestylers and orchardists and yet is conveniently located close to Tauranga. Last edited by: Sandra Haigh