Ko Rangitumau te maunga

Ko Ruamahanga te awa

Ko Te Ore Ore te marae

Ko Nga Tau e Warn te whare tupuna

Ko Ngati Hamua te hapu

Ko Rangitane te tupuna

Rangitumau is the ancestral mountain

Ruamahanga is the ancestral river

Te Ore Ore is the marae

Nga Tau e Warn is the ancestral meeting house

Ngati Hamua is the sub-tribe

Rangitane is the man from whom we descend

Rangitumau can be seen from throughout “Te Kauru” the Upper Ruamahanga River val¬ley from Carterton to Pukaha Mount Bruce.

To revisit the meaning, while resting Haunuiananaia saw a maunga in the distance that he thought was holding up the sky and so he called this Rangitumau.

Rangitumau is the ancestral mountain for the people of Ngati Hamua. This is due to all of the reasons described throughout this booklet. It is also the place where the spirits of the deceased ascend to the humans.

It is a symbol of permanence and strength that our people have looked upon for centu¬ries.

When there is mist on Rangitumau we say that Hinekohurangi is present. This means that it is going to rain.

Like our ancestral river Ruamahanga, Rangitumau is featured in carved form on the cen¬tre pole at the front of the meeting house Nga Tau E Warn on Te Ore Ore marae.

In Te Kauru there were once 25 papakainga near the Ruamahanga, many of these were within sight of Rangitumau so that the people could be near both of their main ancestral identity markers.

The map below is where Rangitumau is located.