In MÃÂori traditions, Tia was an early MÃÂori explorer of Aotearoa New Zealand and a rangatira (chief) in the Arawa tribal confederation. Through his descendants, he is an ancestor of the Tapuika and NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa iwi (tribes). He is responsible for the names of various features and settlements around the central North Island, most notably Lake Taupà Â. He might have lived around 1400.
Tia was born in Hawaiki to Tuamatua and Tauna. Together with his son, Tapuika, he travelled with Tama-te-kapua and NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi on the Arawa canoe, which made landfall in New Zealand at Maketu in the Bay of Plenty. Te Hata says that when other members of crew started staking claims to land immediately after landing, Tia did not. D. M. Stafford says that he declared the area from Maketu west to Te Puke to be the belly of his son Tapuika. Later, Tapuika did settle in this area.
From Maketu, Tia set out with his brother Oro, Oro's son MÃÂka, his own son Tapuika, and Hatupatu to explore the interior of the North Island. They first headed inland to Kaharoa, then continued to Lake Rotorua. From there Tia continued to Horohoro, which received its name because he touched the dead body of an important chief there and had to be cleansed by a tohunga in a ceremony called Te Horohoroinga-nui-a-Tia (the great cleansing of Tia). Other accounts say that this happened to Kahumatamomoe, not Tia. Tia met the Waikato River at Whakamaru, climbed nearby Mount Titiraupenga, then headed upstream, giving ÃÂtiamuri its name, which means 'Tia who follows behind', because the murkiness of the Waikato led him to believe someone was ahead of him. A set of rapids along the Waikato River, near present day Wairakei became known as Aratiatia (Tia's stairway). When he reached Lake Taupà Â, he travelled down the western coast.
Te Hata says that he found no inhabitants around Lake Taupà Â, but Grace claims that he saw houses of NgÃÂti Hotu. At any rate, he built a tà «ÃÂhu altar at PÃÂkàBay on the east coast, ritually claiming ownership of the region. Tia named the altar Hikurangi and the place Taupà Â-nui-a-Tia ('the great cloak of Tia') because the cliffs or the waterfall there looked like his raincoat. This name was later extended to the lake itself and to the township at its northeastern corner. Tia settled at Titiraupenga. After Tia had been dwelling in the region for a while, NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi arrived from the north, climbed up Mount Tauhara and threw a spear or a tree from the mountain into the lake, then built his own tà «ÃÂhu at Taharepa, and began moving down the east coast of the lake building further tà «ÃÂhu at regular intervals. When he reached PÃÂkàBay he found Tia's tà «ÃÂhu, but nevertheless built his own, intentionally using rotten flax for the mat and decayed wood for the posts. When he encountered Tia, the two of them argued over who had arrived first, but NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi pointed out that the materials of his tà «ÃÂhu were already rotten and decaying, while Tia's were still new, so Tia was forced to concede that NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi had arrived first.
Tia and NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi travelled south along the coast of Taupà  together, building a tà «ÃÂhu called Mahuehue at Motutere and then continuing to Tokaanu, where they split up. NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi headed south to climb Tongariro. Tia and MÃÂka headed west to Mount Hauhungaroa, Mount Hurakia, and on to Titiraupeka (location unknown) or back to Titiraupenga, where they both died. Locke reports that in the mid-nineteenth century, their skulls were still being used by local MÃÂori as mauri kumara (kumara talismans), which were taken out into the fields to encourage a good kumara harvest.
Through his sons, Tia is an ancestor of all NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa settled around Lake Taupà Â, just like NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi.
Samuel Locke's 1882 publication of MÃÂori traditions from Taupo and the East Coast, which he says he translated from written accounts produced by unnamed MÃÂori tohunga, includes a very brief sketch of Tia's life. Hoeta Te Hata of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa provided a much fuller account which was published in 1916. Further accounts appear in the John Te Herekiekie Grace's history of NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa and D. M. Stafford's history of Te Arawa.