Otumoetai held the distinction of never being conquered by enemies, including seeing off Nga Puhi chief Hone Heke.
A reserve holding the remnants of a pa that was the original heart of Tauranga was opened yesterday in ceremonies brimming with meaning and emotion.
It began perfectly, with a fog-bound Maori blessing at 6am followed three hours later by the official opening led by Ngai Tamarawaho kaumatua Peri Kohu and Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby.
The opening of the Otumoetai Pa Historic Reserve in Levers Rd, Matua was the culmination of years of planning and work that followed the purchase of the two-hectare block by the council from Tauranga historian Alister Matheson.
Steeped in Maori and European history, the reserve reflects both the Matheson family's long association with the land when it was a farm, and as the surviving portion of what was referred to as the "capital of Tauranga".