Mount Hikurangi (or Te Ara ki Hikurangi in MÃÂori) is a peak in the eastern corner of New Zealand's North Island, about north of Gisborne, and southwest of the East Cape Lighthouse. On a spur of the Raukumara Range in the Waiapu Valley, it is the North Island's highest non-volcanic peak.
Mount Hikurangi is within the rohe of NgÃÂti Porou and Ngati UÃÂpohatu and is the iwi's most significant icon. In MÃÂori mythology, it was the first part of the North Island to emerge when MÃÂui pulled it as a giant fish from the ocean. According to these beliefs, his waka, Nukutaimemeha, became stranded on the mountain, and lies petrified between the mountain's peaks in Lake Hinetakawhiti.
Nearby summits include Whanokao (), Aorangi (), Wharekia () and Taitai (). Together, these mountains provide what ' calls an "awe-inspiring vista".
The early arrivals to Aotearoa commonly gave Polynesian ancestral names and symbolism to New Zealand places. Hikurangi and Aorangi were a pair of names transferred from Tahiti via Rarotonga to different parts of New Zealand Tahiti has a Mount Hiurai (HiâÂÂuraâÂÂi/Hikurangi) at the summit of Mehetia (MeâÂÂetiâÂÂa) island. Rarotonga has Ikurangi, and maybe the origin of all these names is Si'ulagi(Si'ulangi)in Ta'u, Samoa.
The peak is traditionally regarded as the first land in the world to catch the rays of the new day's sun, although this claim, like any such claim of its type, is open to interpretation. Certainly it is not true at any time of the year other than the Southern Hemisphere summer, as both Fiji and Tonga are to the east. In summer, however, because of the tilt of the Earth's axis, it does receive the sun's rays earlier than these places It does not receive them earlier than the Chatham Islands (or, of course, Antarctica), however, and in midsummer some parts of the South Island mainland (such as the peaks of Banks Peninsula and Dunedin's Mount Cargill) receive the dawn's light at almost exactly the same time. This did not stop the mountain gaining world prominence in the celebrations for the new Millennium, however.
According to the Department of Conservation, the mountain is "recognised and accepted as the first point on the mainland to greet the morning sun". The traditional greeting of South Island iwi NgÃÂi Tahu to North Island visitors, "Haere mai, e te RÃÂwhiti!" (Welcome, O Sunrise!), references this fact. Celebrations by NgÃÂti Porou to commemorate the first dawn of the new millennium in 2000, including karakia led by Tamati and Amster Reedy, took place on the summit of the mountain. In addition, nine massive whakairo (carvings) depicting MÃÂui's story and his family were erected on the mountain as part of the celebrations. They were carved under Derek Lardelli's guidance by students from Toihoukura, the Eastern Institute of Technology's School of MÃÂori Visual Arts.
Before the arrival of Europeans, Mount Hikurangi was within NgÃÂti Porou's territory. NgÃÂti Porou believe they are descendants of MÃÂui, and thus have had a connection with the mountain since it arose from the sea. In the 1870s, the Crown acquired the mountain and turned it into a state forest park. In November 1990, ownership of Mount Hikurangi was returned to NgÃÂti Porou, who now manage the mountain, and facilitate the public's access to it.
<small>NB: This section is derived from text in available here https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MacHist-t1-body-d39-d6.html at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre.</small>
There were several âÂÂgold rushesâ on Mount Hikurangi in the early days of European settlement. In 1874, about 100 MÃÂori went prospecting on and around Mount Hikurangi. However, Sir James Hector, who examined the Waiapu Valley, found no signs of gold. In 1875 âÂÂScottyâ Siddons, mate of the Beautiful Star, claimed to have met a MÃÂori person on the East Coast who had a few ounces of gold. He, and a mate named Hill, found a lot of mundic on the north-west side of the mountain, but only outcrops of limestone on the higher slopes. In 1886 Reupane te Ana, of Makarika, discovered what he fondly imagined was an enormous deposit of gold in the area. With what Joseph Angus Mackay called âÂÂnoble unselfishnessâÂÂ, he let all his friends into the secret. Drays, wheelbarrows and receptacles of all kinds were rushed to the scene, and large quantities of the âÂÂprecious metalâ were removed to a safe place. When it turned out that the metal was only mundic, Reupane became an object of ridicule, and, afterwards, was known as âÂÂTommy Poorfellow.âÂÂ
Mount Hikurangi () is of great spiritual, cultural, and physical significance to NgÃÂti Porou. It is the iwi's most important icon, and in MÃÂori mythology, was the first part of the North Island to emerge when MÃÂui, an ancestor of NgÃÂti Porou, pulled it as a giant fish from the ocean. According to these beliefs, his waka, , became stranded on the mountain, and lies petrified near the mountain's summit. Another of NgÃÂti Porou's mythological ancestors, Paikea, is also associated with the mountain. According to myth, Paikea's younger half-brother, Ruatapu, attempted to kill about 70 of his older kin ("brothers") at sea in Hawaiki to exact revenge on his father for belittling him as a low-born son of a slave. The massacre, called , was survived only by Paikea, who called on the sea gods and ancestors to save him. Paikea travelled to New Zealand on the back of a whale, but Ruatapu sent a great flood, called , to kill the survivors in New Zealand. Mt. Hikurangi became a refuge for the people from this deluge.
The mountain is often referenced in NgÃÂti Porou's karakia (incantations), waiata (songs), haka (war dances), and pÃÂpeha or whakatauÃÂkë (proverbs). Examples of these include:
Some famous MÃÂori quotes involving Hikurangi include:
The summit of Mount Hikurangi is the northernmost place where New Zealand's alpine vegetation can be seen. Among the alpine shrubs and delicate herbs found there are large buttercups (Ranunculus spp.), and prickly wild Spaniards (Aciphylla spp.).
The mountain contains the only known habitat of a small sub-alpine shrub, the Hikurangi tutu (Coriaria pottsiana), found on the grassy scree slope behind the Mount Hikurangi Tramping Hut at .
Mount Hikurangi was the location of the last known mainland sighting of the North Island saddleback in 1910, before its reintroduction to the North Island on the 16th of June 2002 at Zealandia in Wellington. In MÃÂori times, kaka would fatten themselves on the berries of the tawari trees growing on the mountain. In the 1960s, members of the Gisborne Tramping Club heard what they thought may have been the call of a kÃÂkÃÂpà  on the mountain, a parrot whose last documented existence in the North Island was in 1895.
The nearby Raukumara Forest Park's forests include a wide range of podocarp-broadleaved species such as rimu, rÃÂtÃÂ, tawa, hinau, rewarewa, kÃÂmahi, kahikatea, miro, beech and tà Âtara. Native birds and animals found in the area include pëwakawaka, tà «Ã«, whio, kÃÂkÃÂ, falcons, kererà «, brown kiwi, Hochstetter's frogs, snails, lizards, skinks, Motuweta riparia (Raukumara tusked wÃÂtÃÂ), and short- and long-tailed bats. Introduced animals include deer, goats, possums, pigs, cattle and mustelidae, all of which pose a threat to the native wildlife.
Mount Hikurangi is about north of Gisborne by road. Visitors to the mountain are asked to contact Te Rà «nanga o NgÃÂti Porou before arriving, as the track crosses their private land, which is sometimes closed for short periods for cultural or farming reasons. While there is no public vehicle or bicycle access beyond the car park near the bottom, 4x4 tours to the carvings can be organised through Te Rà «nanga o NgÃÂti Porou, who also offer a summit guide and an overnight guide. From the car park, it is about a 7-hour walk to the summit. There is a hut for public use 4âÂÂ5 hours up the mountain, but visitors must bring their own cooker and water. Bookings for the hut are also made through Te Rà «nanga o NgÃÂti Porou. Visitors are advised to be cautious of the mountain's unpredictable weather, and to bring clothing suitable for all weather conditions.
Hunting of introduced species is permitted in the nearby Raukumara Forest Park.