In te reo Māori:
Māmari / waaka, Ruanui is the chief / Hokianga is the sea, Whāngāpē the homeland / Ngāti Ruanui are the people, today however, Te Kao is the homeland, Aupōuri the people so why the change/ difference.
The people lived under the guidance of their chief, Ruanui a humble man who guided them well.
Kīngi Īhaka relates the story of how the people of Hokianga became known as Te Aupōuri, and names the children of Ruanui, Tamakonga, Tarawauwau, Koromaiterangi, Tangaroatupo, Tuwhenuaroa, and their sister [Te Huia] and the battle that took place between Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Ruanui hence the name change.
Houtāewa /Te Aupōuri from Te Kao was a huge warrior with long legs and an excellent runner often ran along te Oneroa a tōhe tō Pārengarenga , there were many stories of his prowess.
Ihipango a kaumātua often watched over those who went whaling and sealing. On one of his trips to England he purchased a gun and axe. On his return to Te Kao he gave the gun to Te Houtāewa , he did not want the gun his preference was for the axe which Te Ihipango gave him, and named the gun (toki) Te Tūnuiārangi , this was Te Houtāewa''s greatest treasure, no matter where he went the toki was always with him, many people heard of the famous Tuanuiarangi which Te Houtāewa always carried in his right hand.
On day his mother Makotahi, said go and to the garden and get some kumara, he ran instead to Te Rarawa to get kūmara and was seen by people of that area, and schemed to kill him, however he saw them and got away, got his kūmara, caught some birds and returned home. His mother realized where the kuūmara came from and marveled at his
quickness in getting there and back.
People from Te Rarawa had been trying for sometime to kill him. At one particular war on mount Huketere beside te Oneroa a Tōhe he fell and was injured and was seen by Te Kiroa and killed, and did a karakia. Ngāpuhi eat his legs hoping there legs would become like Te Houtāewa his axe Tūnuiārangi was donated tō the Auckland Museum by one of his kaumātua.
Tohe and his family lived at Kapowairua, the original name being Piwhane. Ngāti Whātua arrived, one of their warriors fell in love with Tohe's daughter Raninikura and she with him and on Ngāti Whātua return to Kaipara she went with them. Tohe longed for his daughter and decided to go and visit, his wife said he was too old to travel. On his arrival at Kaipara he had further to travel he couldn't make it and died along the way.
He was buried by there by his friend; his tinana was eaten by seagulls his spirit returned home. When his daughter heard the news she named her hapū Ngāti Manu.
Many wharenui have been built in the North, some very attractive, yet Waimirirangi is quite different, built of European style, however te reo me āna tikanga is very much to the fore at Waimirirangi. Mentions Piriwiritua arrival in the North.