Normanby Rest Area Kōrero (Taranaki South) Traditional Cache

Every time I drive past this car park off State Highway 3 between Hawera and Eltham I'm in awe of the way Taranaki Mounga is framed by the equivalent of a maihi embellished with Te Hekenga mai o Ketemarae Pa (The Departure of Ketemarae Pa).

The traditional Māori name for this area is Ketemarae. A reference to the many Pa that existed in pre-European times. Ketemarae was a clearing that was over 640 acres in size and was made up of many small and large settlements, some of which were located in the nearby belt of forest. The stones and boulder that you can see placed around this rest area represent some of those Pā.

The size of the area enabled Tangata Whenua to grow many types of food including a variety of fruit trees, an abundance of melons, a vast array of Māori kumara and potatoes, and the main staple of wheat. Pākeha arrived in the area in the early 1800's with the wish to reside, live and build their futures there. The people from the local hapū of Araukūku had the ability to grow vast amounts of wheat and were able to establish strong working relationships with Pākeha. This lead to trade opportunities between local Tangata Whenua and Pākeha.

By the mid 1860s tension started to arise as more Pākeha began moving to South Taranaki and land ownership disputes began to occur between Tangata Whenua and Pākeha

By 1867 war erupted in South Taranaki between colonial forces and local Tangata Whenua. The entire Taranaki region was placed under raupatu (land confiscation) by the new settler government and laws were created to enable new Pākeha settlers to purchase land in substantial sizes, alienating Tangata Whenua from their land.

A policy implemented by Commander of the British Army in New Zealand, Major General Trevor Chute allowed the land to be purchased, and if necessary to take it by force. This was known as the 'Scorched Earth' Policy. The result was the destruction of the many Pā and villages, and multiple causalities and death. This ultimately disabled the Māori economy and destroyed their way of life.

Through raupatu the Pākeha economy flourished and by 1880 discussions had begun on the construction of a main railway line (to the immediate left) that was to be built through a traditional Pā where people still resided and lived. Through the Public Works Act of 1881 construction on the railway line began and the Pā was ultimately destroyed and buried. Some of the main living areas for the Tangata Whenua of this Pā are located near and under the road and railway line near the two speed signs located at the northern end of the rest area.

The main hapū for Ketemarae currently active today is Araukūku, which has strong whakapapa links to the two local iwi of Ngāruahine and Ngāti Ruanui. The main marae of Ngārongo / Ketemarae is located only 1km north of here.
The two carved steel structures at the entrance to the rest area represent the two iwi of Ngāruahine (northern side) and Ngāti Ruanui (southern side). Ngārongo / Ketemarae Pā is represented by the steel archway 'Te Hekenga mai o Ketemarae', which resembles the ancient Whare Tupuna (ancestral meeting house) 'Kumea mai te Waka'. The concrete pathway represents the two main rivers of this area being the Waingongoro and Tangāhoe.

The traditional Māori name for this particular area is Matāriki. The name has strong links and connections to the Pleiades stars constellation, which can be seen clearly between the months of June through to as late as November (depending on where you are).

Matāriki is more commonly known today as the township of Normanby.