POHATUROA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 15, 23 August 1946, Page 5

POHATUROA

WHAKATANE’S FAMOUS ROCK

ITS MEANING & DERIVATION To the thousands whio pass "and repass Pohaturoa Rock throughout the year, the famous land-mark means little'more than the natural grass-girdled monument peculiar to the town of Whakatane. Its origin, its meaning and its place in ancient Maori history is practically a closed book. With a yicw to ascertaining something of Pohaturoa’s background we approached a local Maori, Mr Peta R. Wairua who has given us the following interesting observations. ‘Whence came they? We came from Hawaiki—the great; from Hawaiki the long; from Hawaiki the distant When I was first asked to make a translation of Pohaturoa. I was in something of a dilemma as to the connection between the name from its historical significance and the analytical soil survey of the spot situated. Literally translated it means “Long Stone” which is absurd. The word rock—translated as “Kohatu.” This rock has intrigued the imagination of, many, and a mystery has grown up around it. There is no record of how the rock was named. Similar rocks along the Coast are also named Pohatu-roa. We must further seek for ethnological data from our present knowledge of race and culture. Let us reverse therefore the order of the Pakeha historian and work back from the well-known to the littleknown, from the fairly-certain to the uncertain. As one who has had the opportunity of seeing a few Pacific Islands. I have noticed that the old sites of stone temples were built near the shore and of other Polynesian Islands I read the same thing. The theory is that they were so placed to exercise a magical influence for preventing the encroachment of the sea. Here the engineers built a retaining wall near the Coast, and the inland side was filled in with rock to form a sloping surface which was defined on the inand side by a low curb, sometimes stepped—until a huge ampitheatre is built. The entire enclosure is called a “Tuahu” the term used to designate a raised platform. Vaults were also provided in the mass of stone as tombs for the dead.

The question arises, when the Maoris saw this ready-made statue —Pohatu-roa, it became a ready response to their religious paraphanalia and activities. Therefore the Pohatu—meaning metaphorically an image or defied ancestor or God of Worship—“ The Great Image” from the words of the historian, hence “War like speeches at Wharaueangi fish gossips at Otuawhaki.”

I have read an article a few months ago on this -rock, which I appreciated very much, but further than that I would like to pay a tribute to the great work done by my late friend Dr. Wadmore who was responsible for the preservation of so many beautifying historical landmarks. There have been dozens of historical land-marks ruined through ignorance in this district—“lrakewa Rock” etc. etc. * This district of Whakatane is the historical ambry o of the Maori pioneers. “Remove not the ancient land-marks” Proverbs.