Ko Manuhaea te pā tawhito

The area of Hāwea and Hāwea Flat derives it's mana from the ancient pā, Manuhaea. It was primarily a kaika mahika kai, a food-gathering settlement.

Manuhaea was located in what we now call The Neck, a narrow piece of land that separates Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea. This settlement was extremely important to Kai Tahu as it was at the centre of a network of trails that linked the east, west and south coasts. It was also a whare wānaka, a place of learning.

Manuhaea's importance to Kai Tahu saw it targeted by Ngāti Tama (Taranaki) warrior Te Puoho-o-te-rangi and 100 of his people in 1836 with the northern invaders first attacking a small group of Kai Tahu māori at Makarora. One of the people they took prisoner, Pukuharuru, escaped and warned his family to the south. The people of Manuhaea were able to flee but Manuhaea was never again permanently settled by Kai Tahu.

A story of Turihuka

Turihuka means snowy thighs/knees. The mountain was named after the wife of the famous ancestor Tamatea.

If you look across Lake Hāwea from The Neck towards Silver Island you can see a waterfall off to the left; this is called Te mimi o Turihuka meaning the waters of Turihuka.