The Tuia Mātauranga GeoTour is about having fun discovering the history of Aotearoa New Zealand by finding sites of significance in local communities from early Pacific voyaging and migration, European settlement to present day. The interaction between people, and people and the land have provided a rich history that the GeoTour invites you to explore.
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Kohi Point - Whakatāne's Eastern Head
(Kohi or Koohi)
This cache is part of the Tuia Mātauranga GeoTour (TMGT).
A significant event in the history of Ngāti Awa people was the arrival of the waka Mātaatua, captained by Toroa, the chief of Mātaatua (one of the principal ancestors of Ngāti Awa).
The Mātaatua canoe faced rough waters as it approached the headland at Whakatāne (Kohi Point). The turbulence was so bad that it caused the daughter of Toroa, Wairaka, to suffer the indignity of experiencing seasickness.
The term by which Ngāti Awa tīpuna later called this experience was "ko-hi" (to be ill). Hence the name by which the rocks, the point and adjacent land is known today.
Although Ngāti Awa has resided at Kohi Point since the time of the ancestor Tīwakawaka, many generations before the arrival of the Mātaatua waka at Whakatāne.
Tīwakawaka was the first explorer to discover and settle the land around Kakahoroa (Whakatāne). His waka was Te Aratauwhaiti and his descendants were the original people of Kakahoroa.
Some of the crew of Te Aratauwhaiti are commemorated in the names of the rocks at Kohi Point.
The Kohi Point walk is a medium 7 km walk that will take you around 3 hours to complete. The track starts off on a road then onto a formed track, through bush then onto the beach at Otarawairere, then West End Ōhope. At the top of Kohi Point you will get some awesome views of the Whakatāne township and surrounding area. On a clear sunny day you may even see White Island (Whakaari) puffing in the distance and you should see Whale Island (Moutohorā) where James Cook anchored the Endeavour on 1 November 1769.
To be able to complete this Geotour and receive your special geocoin, remember to take a note of the codeword on the log book of the cache. This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded from here. If the passport is unavailable for any reason just keep a note of the codeword and try again later.