Blog: 2. Pāpāmoa Hills
Pāpāmoa is on the North Eastern coastline of the Bay of Plenty and is now part of the Tauranga District. Behind the dune plains are Pāpāmoa Hills which rise up to 224 metres. The hills were formed by ancient volcanoes which form part of the Tauranga Volcanic Centre which extends from the southern end of Waihi Beach and from the old volcanoes of the Coromandel Peninsula that make up the northern part of the Kaimai Range, and towards the Taupō Volcanic Zone.
They consist of volcanic and sedimentary rock with some of the hills featuring volcanic rims. The area has experienced significant eruptions in the past, including the Waiteariki ignimbrite eruption about 2.1 million years ago.
This region is thought to be one of the first areas to be settled by Polynesian immigrants. Pāpāmoa Hills were used by Maori for defensive pā sites and elaborate fortifications with long occupations during tribal wars whilst the fertile coastal plains had strategic pā sites and where they grew crops like kumara. The coastal location also provided access to rich fisheries. There is evidence of settlement and farming dating back to about the 1400’s. In fact the name Pāpāmoa means papa: flat; moa: raised mounds for growing vegetables.
Of the seven pā sites on Pāpāmoa Hills, Karangaumu Pā was located on the summit of the hills and served as a defensive stronghold. The elevated position of the pā on the hills allowed for monitoring of the surrounding land and sea. Slightly lower and on the ocean side was the Patangata Pā which offered refuge for women and children during conflicts. Each of these sites were surrounded by deep trenches and are thought to have been built over a period of at least 300 years.
There is a Maōri legend which explains how the hills came into being.
A long time ago, a whale and her baby swam into the Tauranga Harbour. They swam through the entrance, past Mauao (Mt Maunganui) and Te Moutere o Matakana (Matakana Island).
They continued deeper into the harbour and swam past Te Papa and Matapihi toward Maungatapu. However, as they continued up they found the water was getting shallower so instead of swimming back out through the entrance, they turned and headed into the Rangataua arm of the harbour between Matapihi and Maungatapu.
They could hear the sound of the waves pounding on to the beach at Ōmanu and Pāpāmoa so they continued to struggle over the mudflats of Rangataua. Tired and thirsty, they stopped at Karikari on the eastern shore of Rangataua to drink from a river. They did not know that the river was magic and that drinking from it would turn them into stone. They both drank from the river and suddenly they became stone.
The father whale came in search of his family and followed the same trail until he saw that they had turned to stone. He too, drank from the river and became stone and lay behind the mother and baby whale. He is known as Kōpūkairoa. The mother whale, Mangatawa, lies at the southern end of Rangataua Bay with the baby whale, Hikurangi, nestled beside her.
Pāpāmoa Hills Regional Park officially opened to the public in July 2004, a collaboration effort between local authorities and Māori in order to protect the area’s rich cultural history and archaeological sites. It covers 135 hectare of native bush and open farmland. It’s traditional Māori name is Te Rae o Pāpāmoa, which means the forehead of the woman who is the hills.
The hills are visible from most parts of Pāpāmoa, and most obvious are the two pine trees which were apparently planted by Colin McNaughton in the early 1900’s, whose farm was on part of the hills for over 100 years. In 2002, the local Councils purchased it and formed the regional park.
There are several walking tracks which zig-zag up the mountain and over 80,000 people visit the hills annually and for many locals (like me), its a daily or weekly hike to the summit, either to enjoy nature, exercise or just to meet other like-minded members of the community - or all of the above.
(Ref: https://mangatawa.com/our-history/)