Rangitumau

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 valley 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. It is the place where the spirits of the deceased ascend to the humans. It is a symbol of permanence and strength that Maori have looked upon for centuries.

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

Like the ancestral river Ruamahanga, Rangitumau is featured in carved form on the centre 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