Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Rangitoto is a relatively young volcano, having emerged from the sea in a series of fiery
eruptions only 600 years ago. Maori were living on neighbouring Motutapu Island at the
time of the eruptions and Rangitoto's dramatic appearance ensured it would always have an
important place in their history and mythology. The island's name is derived from the Maori
phrase
Te Rangi totongia a Tama-te-kapua
(the day the blood of Tama-te-kapua was shed).
Tama-te-kapua was chief of one of the canoes that brought the early Polynesian settlers. He
arrived about 1350 and then lost a major battle with the Tainui at Islington Bay, which lies
between Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands.
