This is an extremely important place. Around the stream is the area of the original settlement of Polynesians from Kupe's pahi, (voyaging canoe), and got its name from their sacred marae in Tahiti. Here too, the name would originally have applied to a marae, possibly on the ridge above the flat land surrounding the stream - with the name becoming transferred to the creek much later by pioneer surveyors. The creek was used by Gordon Browne in the 1830's to float kauri logs from the Moewai block down the three kilometres to the coast.

Step into explore the rich heritage of Te Whanganui o Hei Mercury Bay.