Our Kāhui Ako Pepeha – Our Place

Ko Rangitoto te maunga te rū nei i taku ngakau.

Rangitoto is the mountain that speaks to my heart

Ko Oteha te awa e mahea nei i aku māharahara

Oteha is the river that alleviates my worries

Ko Tīkapa Te Moananui o Toi e ngunguru nei i aku wawata

Tīkapa Moananui o Toi is the ocean that rumbles my aspirations.

Ko Waipapa te whenua e haumaru nei i tōku wairua

Waipapa is the land that protects my spirit.

E mihi ana ki nga tohu o nehe Te kawarau ā Maki e noho nei Campbells Bay kura .

I recognise the ancestral and spiritual landmarks of  Te kawarau ā Maki, where my school Campbells Bay School resides

The history and name behind our Maunga Rangitoto

At one landing at an island in the Hauraki Gulf, Tama was confronted by the Tainui’s captain Hoturoa over an alleged adultery. The resulting fight left Tama’s face bloodied. That is why the island is named Rangitoto, an abbreviation for Te Rangi-i-totongia-a-Tamatekapua (the day the blood of Tamatekapua was shed).

Name of Tīkapa Te Moananui O Toi

Toi te Huatahi arrived around the twelfth century from Hawaiiki, and from this visit arose many traditional place names on Aotea. The great sea of Aotea is known as Te Moananui o Toi te Huatahi (the Great Sea of Toi). The many islands within this sea are known collectively as Nga Poito o te Kupenga o Toi te Huatahi (floats of the fishing net of Toi te Huatahi).

Hauraki Gulf Marine Park = Tīkapa Moana (full name, Ko te Pataka kai o Tīkapa Moana Te Moananui a Toi)

“In one Hauraki tradition, Tīkapa Moana takes its name from Gannet Rock, northwest of Waiheke Island. Tīkapa means ‘sound of mournful sobbing’ referring to the ebb and flow of the tide around this rock. It was here that early Māori performed rituals and ceremonies to claim the land when they first arrived in Aotearoa. Te-Moananui-a-Toi or ‘The great ocean of Toi’ refers to the early Polynesian explorer and navigator.”

This video was created by CBS staff for our students during 2021 lockdown.