Raukawa wāhine complete 370km journey walking in ancestor's footsteps

The seven Raukawa wāhine at Rangiātea, from left: Tyra Begbie, Klee Begbie, Lisa Begbie, Dr Naomi Simmonds, Kyea Watene-Hakaraia, Arahia Moeke and Ngahuia Kopa. Photo / Supplied

The seven Raukawa wāhine, who three weeks ago embarked on a hīkoi across the North Island to retrace the journey of the ancestress Māhinaarangi, have reached their final destination.

Their arrival at Rangiātea Pā site, on the banks of the Mangaoronga River just out of Ōtorohanga on Sunday, December 6 marked the end of an impressive 372km journey.

Their hīkoi started in the Te Hauke region in Hastings, through to Wairoa, Waikaremoana, and across the Mamaku and Kaimai Ranges, the wāhine stayed at marae along the way.

Dr Naomi Simmonds, senior lecturer and researcher at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, who led the hīkoi and the Marsden-funded research – Taku Ara Rā: Ko Māhinaarangi – says it was an incredibly humbling experience for all involved.

"Starting this journey, as a Raukawa wāhine, I wanted to get a deeper sense of who our ancestress Māhinaarangi really was and the diverse lands and rivers she would have travelled through," says Naomi.

Māhinaarangi of Ngāti Kahungunu is renowned for having travelled, while heavily pregnant, more than 500km from her people's lands in Kahungunu (near Te Aute in the east) to those of her husband, Tūrongo, at Rangiātea.

On the way, she laboured and birthed their son, Raukawa, from whom seven wāhine are descendants of.

"For years, I'd researched the journey of Māhinaarangi as part of my PhD research, and the one thing that was missing was the actual physical experience of the haerenga (journey) itself," says Naomi.

"It was an incredible privilege to follow, even if not in its exact form, the path that Māhinaarangi likely took to Rangiātea, and to have six strong Raukawa wāhine join me in this mission."

The six other Raukawa women who joined Naomi on the hīkoi were Ngahuia Kopa; Lisa Begbie, and her daughters Tyra Begbie and Klee Begbie; Arahia Moeke; and Kyea Watene-Hakaraia.

"We formed incredibly strong bonds during the past three weeks, in some challenging terrain and conditions. Walking approximately 25km a day, there was definitely some sweat and tears, but we wouldn't change anything," says Naomi.

"We achieved what we set out to do, including reconnecting with our tribal stories, ancient knowledge, lands, lakes and rivers. In doing so, we were able to really soak in what it meant to be Raukawa wāhine in contemporary Aotearoa, and our unique identity and history."

Naomi hopes this journey is one that other descendants of Māhinaarangi can one day get to experience for themselves.

"We're hoping this experience will form the basis for a biennial hīkoi event that more of the descendants of Māhinaarangi can participate in, as well as contributing to various research publications in the coming year."