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Description
An island approximately 65km north-west of Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua. It is the most western island of the Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands. Feature shown on: NZMS260 L01; NZTopo50-AS21 110168; Ngāti Kuri and Te Aupouri history: After spirits leave Te Rerenga Wairua they dive under the water to Manawatawhi and ascend the summit of Ōhau, where they stop to look at their homeland and sing their laments, before moving on their spiritual journey to Te Reinga. The name Ōhau dates back to the ancients of Hawaiki. It also makes reference to the prevalent winds that can stir the seas in this area. Stokes recounts evidence of Waerete Norman before the Waitangi Tribunal regarding a waiata tangi about Te Rerenga Wairua: “Rimui rimu tere tere. E tere ra i te moana. E ahu ana ki ripo. I raro ra e -. Ka kati, ka puare. Mo wairua e -. Te huringa i Muri Motu. Te huringa i Te Reinga. Te moana i kauria. Te wairua e -. Ohau i waho ra. Te puke whakamutunga. Haere whakangaro atu te wairua e.” “Seaweed drifting, drifting. floating out to sea. Flowing with the currents. the whirlpool below e. It opens and closes. for te wariua e. flowing around Murimotu. around Reinga. the seas swum. by te wairua. Behold the summit of Ohau. out yonder. Farewell e” . (Stokes, The Muriwhenua Land Claims Post 1865 Wai 45 and Others, pp. 159-161). Waerete Norman also submitted a transcript of W T H Panga talking about the spiritual pathway, which included the statement: "naa, ka ruku nei ngaa wairua, ka whiti ki ngaa motu. E kiia nei, ko Oohau te mea mutunga, engari he maha aua motu. E kiia ana e etahi ko Tirii Kiingi, ko te puke tino mutunga mai, tenei e kiia ana ko Oohau. Ka tae ki reira, ka tangi mai ngaa wairua" ("now the spirits dive under water and cross to the islands. It is said that Oo-hau is the last one, but there are many islands there. It is said by some that of the Three Kings Islands, the hill closest to here is Oohau. On reaching there the spirits sing their laments"). (Stokes, A Review of the Evidence in the Muriwhenua Lands Claims, Vol 2, pp. 717-718). Stokes also notes that “West Island is known to Māori as Ohau, the place where the spirits who have departed from Te Rerenga Wairua pause for a last look at their homeland”. (Stokes, The Muriwhenua Land Claims Post 1865 Wai 45 and others, p. 159).
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