Kaputerangi Lookout is on the high point of Kohi Point Reserve. You can hike from downtown Whakatāne or drive up on Otarawairere Road, then Kohi Point Lookout Road. There is a large grassed reserve at the top, partly surrounded by the forest regrowth of the Kohi Point Reserve and part by steep farmland. The views from the grassed part of the reserve are superb, especially to the west and southwest. As you drive up, there are also superb views over Ōhope.
From the lookout, it is a short walk down the gassed slope to join the Ngā Tapuwai o Toi Track. From there, you can walk down to Whakatāne or Kohi Point at the tip of Whakatāne Heads.
At the car park at the top of the road is a pou and two plaques that refer to its historical importance as the site of Kapu-te-rangi Pā, which means “Pā of Gentle Breezes.” It is also referred to as Toi’s pā. A second plaque notes its return to Ngāti Awa with the Treaty of Waitangi claims settlement in 2005.
The pā site is one of the oldest known in NZ and is especially important to Ngāti Awa as it is linked to Toi-te-Huatahi, who is reputed to have landed in Aotearoa around 1150. This easily predates the ocean-going wakas, Arawa, Tainui and Mātaatua, which are believed to have landed at least 100 years later. Amongst other stories, Toi is said to have visited the Auckland region and planted a karaka grove at Ōtara, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland). His name is also captured in the Ngā Tapuwai o Toi Track and Te Whāiti-nui-a-Toi Canyon in Whirinaki Forest.
