Kaingahoa Marae

Our Whare Hui (Tūmanako)

Around the year 19.10 Wiremu Te Korohu Whiu and his brother Hori Whiu, gathered with a few of the local whanau to discus the idea of building a new wharenui

In those times you couldn't just get on your horse and gallop down to Bunnings or Place Makers for timber supplies.

Wiremu was the designated master carpenter for this project.

It was decided that they would fell tress from the local bush for the mahi.

Te Rīwhi Te Hāra and Te Oti Tarawa put their bullock teams to work to drag the logs out of the bush. They constructed a pit saw in the drain adjacent to the present whare hui for this mammoth job.

Each log had to be manoeuvred with timber Jacks to be supported on a frame ,while two men, one up, one down worked a vertical pit saw. All ready I feel sorry for the one on the bottom. Incidentally later in his working career as a logger,our grandfather Paki Whiu suffered a major accident that meant he needed crutches to get around.

At no stage did this prevent him from working ---roll on ACC

Even though the Kauri timber was untreated the building has lasted over one hundred years, and a desire to refurbish the old building for future still remains strong.

Because of Hōri Whiu's Tohunga status, he was unable to participate in any of the manual labour on the build but his guidance and knowledge pertaining to all marae tikanga (etiquette and protocols) was vital for a favourable outcome.

Our whare hui slowly took shape under the steady eye of Wiremu, Hori and a few of the locals.

This whare remains quite unique because of some of the building methods used.

Our tupuna were skilled enough to fashion mortise and tenon joints for the studs in the wall frames that supprted the top and bottom plates. When you are next at Kāingahoa Marae in Matarāua, look at the hand-crafted timbers that still show the saw marks on the outside timber cladding of the whare. Imagine the sweat and effort expended for each saw mark on each individual timber of this whare.

On completion, this whare became the focal point for Church Services, Hui Mate, Christenings, Birthdays and Weddings. It became the central hub for all the local whānau,

and I emphasize whānau.

In the 1950s, remnants of the feet to the pit frame were discovered in the small creek that flowed between the whare Hui and the whare Kai. This creek was filled in about five years ago ( 2015), to give us extra room for the new whare Hui that was being planned for.

Many thanks to Wītemāra and his whānau for this major mahi, another one of our whanaunga to put the hand up when called.

The Whare Kai

Prior to the early 1950s, Kai was prepared in a Kāuta, built with manuka supports, with nikau palms, and raupo for the walls and roof. This structure was maintained and re-cladded with local fauna whenever the need arose (an ongoing exercise through the years). Our kaumatua Pei Tehaara has a lot of stories of how they would have to gather the fauna for this mahi

I do remember the two lengthy food tables and forms that were dug into the earth floor of the Kāuta. The tables were double-decked to create extra space, which meant extra kai, ensuring the manuhiri were well catered for, one of the cornerstones of whanaungatanga.

In 1953 Matua (uncle Pat Whiu) decided to build a permanent whare kai. With the help of his brothers, Tom and Arthur, his good friend Taka Kopa from Ōtaua and whanaunga Chookie Mātene from Tautoro, and us kids in the way again, they made a start.

A stand of pine trees from opposite the Moon family farm in Te Iringa was donated by Andre,(I can't recall the surname ) sorry --was gratefully accepted for the cause.

Pei Te Haara, Eddie and Paul Witehira and the guidence of their father,I am still trying to investigate his name-- from Ōtaua. helped to fell the trees.

These were then loaded aboard a Dairy Company truck and transported for milling at Wharepunga (just below the Johnson’s farm,where uncle Tom Whiu worked as farm manager .

Milling back then was done with a large circular saw, belt driven from Chookie Matene’s trusty old Fordson Major tractor. Over the next few months friends and local whānau stepped up to help uncle Pat with the construction.Six months later after more back breaking work we had a new whare kai ready to surve the whanau

You know whānau, writing this makes it all seem so simple, but briefly consider, the vision, the planning, the finance, the coordination, together with the hard work as well. I am humbly amazed at what our tūpuna were able to achieve with such limited resources,such is the power of working together

On the completion of all these undertakings ,every one in the valley felt a real sense of pride with the accomplishment ,which created the desire to be there for the next mahi.

Also around this time re-piling was done to repair some of the flooring to Tūmanako, once again with us kids in the way, man we must have been real hōhā! at times

Bell memorial

In 1958 to commemorate the passing of Paki Whiu and his dear wife Elizabeth Regina, a bell was erected next to the church. Auntie Rewa Wāka and uncle Pat initiated the purchase of this bell. Auntie Rewa Wāka had a deep desire to honour our grand parents memory for all the heartfelt love she received from them since moving to Ngāpuhi from Ngāti Porou. Grand Father Paki Whiu, had no desire for a Kōhatu Hakamaharatanga (head stone) while our tupuna Tuterangi Whiu remained unmarked.It was decided that their memory be enshrined on a plaque that sits under the bell that is still rung to call people together.----

A huge thank you to our home committee and their helpers for the re establishment of this Taonga---Hollywood here we come--- the beautiful people

photo to follow when I learn how to get it on

Whare Kai Upgrade

By the late 1960s, time had taken its toll on the untreated timbers to the whare kai and these had to be replaced. A new extension was also undertaken.

Over the next few years the Auckland whānau did some fundraising with dances at the Scout hall in Homai. Many whanau members gave their time to the construction. Dick Thompson, Bunty Whiu, Selwyn Whiu, Pei and Rui Te Haara, and so many others helped Uncle Pat and uncle Tom with this work. Various whānau members from Auckland would head home to get in the way, again, on some of the working bee weekends. A toilet and shower block behind the Whare Hui was also completed. By the mid to late 1970s all was done, for now.

40 years on

We now see our beloved marae call for our help once again. We may turn our heads looking for the old helpers, but most are gone. You can try pointing at someone else but you will see one finger pointing away and three fingers pointing back. You are the marae, I am the marae, we are the marae.

.The name, Tūmanako means Hope, which opens a door to service and also opportunities. It is now your turn to walk with us in our exciting new building project. Tūmanako needs your help.

Whanau, I decided to write some of the history as I experienced it, too fulfill a request from our extended whanau scattered around the globe, thank you Hone Whiu from Aussie

The intention was to try and share with whanau who had lost contact with the marae, for various reasons. We were going to need all the support we could get for an undertaking that was years in the making. I have tried to describe the general goings on of whanau gatherings to keep things simple and real

To all our whanau, my humble apologies for not including the names of many of you who helped with the mahi, and are still hard out helping, but there were bound to be some whānau that I didn't know who had worked in those times.(I spent a few years living in Aus,so please bare with me)---- I also believe that you would tautoko all the old people that I have mentioned. There will be many others that gave their time to the cause and I would like to acknowledge their mahi as well. So whānau please let me know of some of the stories and we can share it on these pages. If possible include the korero, the feelings, the fear and the humour.

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