Kāi Tahu - the kaitiaki (guardians) of this land - welcome you to our special place of Te Kaihīnaki.
Kāi Tahu are the indigenous people who hold manawhenua (authority) over the majority of Te Waipounamu (South Island). We are the collective of individuals who descend from the primary iwi (Māori tribes) of Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe and Kāi Tahu. We also acknowledge our whakapapa (genealogy) to earlier iwi including Kāti Māmoe and Rapuwai.

Te Kaihīnaki (Moeraki Boulders) is of immense historical and cultural significance to Kāi Tahu whānui. In our traditions Te Kaihīnaki are the round food baskets and hue (gourds) washed ashore from the famous Araiteuru waka. We invite you to read our stories and learn about the special relationship that Kāi Tahu whānui has with Te Kaihīnaki.

​

The Araiteuru tradition explains the origins of kūmara and numerous geographical features of Te Waipounamu (South Island).
Under the leadership of Pakihiwitahi and Hipo, the Araiteuru waka travelled to the ancient homeland of Hawaiki to gather seed to establish kūmara throughout Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu (New Zealand). The gruelling return journey across Te Moananui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) went relatively smoothly, until the waka encountered heavy seas just north of here.

As the waka took on water, some of its cargo including round food-baskets and hue (gourds) were washed ashore. These formed the world-famous Moeraki Boulders. As the waterlogged waka continued travelling south, more cargo was lost at nearby Kātiki Beach before capsizing at Matakaea (Shag Point). The hull of the waka now forms the reef there, and the large rock is the navigator Hipo.

Many of the passengers who went ashore were later transformed into many of the rivers and peaks of Te Waipounamu (South Island), including Waiwherowhero Stream that flows next to this carpark. The nearby hills also represent the great waves that overwhelmed the waka. For Kāi Tahu whānui the Otago coastline is known as Te Tai-o-Araiteuru (the Araiteuru coast) in recognition of the famous ocean voyaging waka that capsized on this coast.

​

Waka Hourua
Large double-hulled waka (canoe) were developed by early Polynesians to travel long distances in the rougher open ocean waters of Te Moananui-a-Kiwa (The Pacific Ocean). The two hulls are joined together by long crossbeams to form a platform. Such waka occasionally had two sails and were capable of traveling between 150 and 250km a day. Some of these waka were up to 40 meters long and could carry large numbers of people.