The taurapa was discovered in the late 1800s by a local settler, Frenchman Louis Bidois, whilst stabbing his stick into mudflats not far out from his homestead between Ōmokoroa and Te Puna, Western Bay of Plenty. He was guided towards this area during a conversation between himself and a local kuia who knew about the taurapa’s whereabouts from her own elders.
David Borrell, in the Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society would note that it became the point of conversation for all who stepped into Louis Bidois’ homestead, where it took pride of place propped up in the living room. Here it stayed until in later years Mr F. Crossley Mappin, who purchased it, donated it to the Auckland Museum. Early correspondence tells us of its journey up to Auckland, arranged by his son, Louis Heke Bidois along with a carved statue of what was referred to as the atua of kumara, found on the shores of Motuhoa, just a few of the many taonga found along the shorelines of the area in the late 19th century.
Having this taonga reemerge has provided an opportunity to reflect on other material that depicts earlier times, offering clues to the waka’s background story. Horatio Robley, a soldier-settler with a natural gift for art, was a significant figure in the mid-1800s, residing in the area and witnessing some of Tauranga’s most pivotal post-European historical events. One, was the Christmas Day waka race here in the harbour between the inner shores of Te Papa, Maungatapu and Matapihi. There were four prominent waka, each vying for first place in front of a mass crowd of both Māori and Pākeha- settlers, a contrasting scene to the events which occurred the year prior at Pukehinahina and Te Ranga.
Despite the haste, Robley accurately captured this extraordinary spectacle in his drawing as it unfolded before him. He notes in his artwork index that the waka which finished first in the race, belonged to the people of Ōtumoetai (and chief Tupaea) and with the taurapa bearing the same carved figure at its base as that of Miripekapeka, it raises a tantalising question: could it be the same waka that Robley sketched in his artwork? Is there a deeper connection between Tupaea's victorious waka and the storied taonga of Miripekapeka?
The narrative around Miripekapeka invites reflection on other significant waka in the region. The great waka of the past, carved with ancestral knowledge and used for both warfare and migration, highlight the deep seafaring traditions of Tauranga Moana. These vessels were not just modes of transport but living embodiments of whakapapa, carrying iwi across vast waters and connecting generations through their journeys.
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