Didn’t early Māori people desire this place? Welcome to Hangaura Point. This spot was once called Tāmaki Makaurau. It means Tāmaki desired by many. The name shows how valuable this land was. Its natural resources and geography made it special.
Around 1350 Māori people settled here. The isthmus was a perfect location. Two harbors offered access to both coasts. Fertile soils helped with growing food. The sea offered plenty of seafood. Māori built pā on volcanic peaks. These were fortified villages. Most people lived in undefended kāinga.
Motutapu Island holds some of Auckland’s earliest sites. Ponui Island and Wattle Bay are also important. Matukutûruru that is Wiri Mountain has early settlements too. Māori likely lived all over this area. Horticulture was central to the economy. People grew kûmara which is sweet potato. Fishing and gathering shellfish were also key. Ötāhuhu and Mount Wellington had special areas. Here people made toki or stone adze.
Ngāi Tai settled in Maraetai. They descended from the Tainui canoe people. Te Kawerau ā Maki lived in the Waitākere Ranges. They controlled land to the Kaipara. Their land stretched to Mahurangi and Takapuna. Ngāti Te Ata lived south of the Manukau Harbour at Waiuku. Ngāti Pāoa lived along the coast. Their territory ran from Whangaparaoa to the Thames estuary. Waiohua dominated the Tāmaki isthmus. They were a federation of tribes under Te Hua-o-Kaiwaka.
From 1600 to 1750 the Tāmaki tribes terraced the volcanic cones. They created pā or fortresses. Across the isthmus they grew kûmara gardens. These covered 2000 hectares. By 1750 the population was in the tens of thousands. This was pre-European New Zealand’s wealthiest area.
From the early 18th century Ngāti Pāoa moved into the Hauraki Gulf. They went as far north as Mahurangi. Between 1740 and 1750 Ngāti Whātua-o-Kaipara invaded the isthmus. They killed Kiwi Tāmaki chief of Waiohua. They took his last pā at Māngere. Ngāti Whātua secured their dominance by marrying Waiohua descendants. A cautious peace followed. Ngāti Pāoa fought with Ngāpuhi tribes. This made the Tāmaki tribes vulnerable.
Ngāti Whātua and Tainui were here when Europeans arrived. To the north European settlement allowed Ngāpuhi to get muskets. Ngāti Whātua defeated a Ngāpuhi force in battle. This was at Moremonui north of the Kaipara Harbour. At least 150 were killed.
Apihai Te Kawau led the Ngāti Whātua hapū Te Taoū. He was a friend of Samuel Marsden. He played a key role in the Amiowhenua expedition. This series of battles raged through the North Island.
Pressure for British intervention grew. Missionaries wanted to protect Māori. This led to the annexation of New Zealand. Lieutenant Governor Hobson created the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. James Cook had claimed New Zealand for Britain.
On March 20 1840 Apihai Te Kawau signed the Treaty of Waitangi. This happened in the Manukau Harbour area. Ngāti Whātua sought British protection from Ngāpuhi. They wanted a relationship with the Crown and the Church. Ngāti Whātua Örākei gifted land to Hobson. This land was for the new capital.
The Māori population declined for years. Ngāti Whātua lost their land. Within 20 years 40% of their lands were gone. Some land was confiscated. Ngāti Whātua was reduced to a few acres at Örākei. Te Kawau called it a last stand. By the end of the 1840s Māori were a minority in Auckland. They re-emerged as a cultural force later. This came after the Bastion Point occupation. It also followed a Māori cultural revival.
Hobson chose Auckland as the capital in 1841. Ngāti Whātua expected security and trade. Auckland’s port grew quickly. Trade in Waikato produce increased.