1866 Te Koutu Wetland
- A Pā Site

You cannot drive through Mourea without seeing

Motutawa. It is the Peninsula that forms the beautiful

Okawa Bay. The original pā was located on the highest

northern point. The pā was called Te Taiki and its capture

was the final event in a series of wars that saw Te Takinga

and his warriors claim the whole of Lake Rotoiti.

In 1898, Te Taiki was set aside as an urupā. The hapū

would hold tangi at the marae, place the bodies on a

waka to be rowed across the lake, drag the bodies up

Motutawa and then bury these on Te Taiki pā. Today, this

continues to be an important urupā for the descendants of

Ngāti Te Takinga.