Te Urewera is a remote, rugged, forested, scenic, and immense area in the North Island. It is east of Rotorua and Whirinaki Forest, southeast of the Bay of Plenty and west of Gisborne. It is the rohe (historical home) of the Tūhoe people, also known as Nga Tamariki o te Kohu (the children of the mist).
The region is largely inaccessible apart from a mostly metal 90-km windy, narrow road and hiking tracks. The road runs from Te Whaiti in Whirinaki Forest to the southeast edge of beautiful Lake Waikaremoana. The road was State Highway 38, which caused a few tourist complaints. SH38 now only applies to the road west of Murupara and southeast of the lake to Wairoa. The drive is stunning and by far the most remote driving experience on the North Island. Watch out for the free-roaming horses!
Lake Waikaremoana, which means “sea of rippling waters,” is the main attraction. At 256 metres, it is the deepest in the North Island and 600 metres above sea level. The 3 to 4-day Lake Waikaremoana Track, a Great Walk, starts there. Several other tracks include access to waterfalls and Lake Waikareiti. There are camping options around the lake at Mokau Landing, Waikaremoana Holiday Park and Rosie Bay around the lake, and at Orangihikoia north of the lake.
A massive landslide created the lake, and this natural dam supported hydropower development. Small villages on the south side support three power stations at Onepoto, Kaitawa, and Tuai.
Te Urewera was mostly untouched by Europeans until the early 20th century. Tūhoe never signed the Treaty of Waitangi, and the remote, hilly environment, with ridge lines up to 1,100 metres and high points over 1,300 metres, protected them and the ancient forests.
The first direct interaction with Europeans was when some iwi members were encouraged by Rewi Maniapoto to fight the government in the NZ Wars in 1864. The following year, the government accused Tūhoe of sheltering Kereopa Te Rau, wanted for killing Karl Volkner, a missionary in Ohope (Bay of Plenty). Tūhoe’s only substantial flat and arable land on the coast, 5,700 ha, was confiscated as a punishment.
In 1868, some Tūhoe sheltered Te Kooti, who murdered 54 people near Gisborne. Some Tūhoe supported Te Kooti, while others supported the government. Again, everyone suffered as the government attacked Tūhoe in its pursuit.
In 1896, the government seemed to acknowledge the situation and agreed to allow Tūhoe to establish a self-governing reserve. However, from 1915 to 1926, the government used various tricks to acquire land and relocate Tūhoe to small land blocks. In 1916, there was also a police raid deep in Te Urewera to arrest the Tūhoe prophet Rua Kenana for sedition. It was largely a set-up that had an astonishing echo with a police raid in Te Urewera looking for terrorists in 2007! This also turned out to be much ado about very little.
Eventually, the road was built, and much of the government-grabbed land was turned into Te Urewara National Park in 1954. But the area remained largely impoverished. A critical Waitangi Tribunal report was published in 1999, and a settlement between the government and Tūhoe was agreed upon in 2013, including co-governance of Te Urewera. Te Urewera also became the first region in the world to be awarded the same legal rights as a person. Te Uru Taumatua, Ngāi Tūhoe’s operational entity, maintains the tracks and facilities today.
You may also wonder what Te Urewera means. It originates from a Māori phrase meaning "The Burnt Penis". We have yet to discover why this amazing place has such a bizarre name!
