Whatuwhiwhi

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Whatuwhiwhi is a settlement on the northern end of Tokerau Beach on the Karikari Peninsula. It belongs to the Far North District of the North Country Region in the North Island of New Zealand.

South of the town extends the large bay .. Doubtless Bay Kaitaia next major town is located about 39 km south.

The place has three small sandy coves. One can safely swim, because of the unprotected south-east location is not suitable for anchoring the space.

History

The team its on the St Jean Baptiste French explorer Jean -François -Marie de Surville and were the first Europeans who drove into the Doubtless Bay, just 8 days after James Cook had given her the European names. We anchored at December 11, 1769 before Brodie's Creek, just to the northeast of Whatuwhiwhi.

He gathered in the coastal area herbs for healing of scurvy.

On December 27, a group of the crew was stranded during a storm at Whatuwhiwhi, where they were treated kindly by the Maori. The same storm tore the anchor of the ship from the ground that had to be cut then. The other one in tow yawl the ship ran on to rocks and also had to be cut loose.

After the storm the stranded sailors returned to the ship. On 31 December, the yawl on the coast of Tokerau Beach, surrounded by Maori, sighted. You put down an armed group to retrieve the boat. It encountered in armed with spears group Māori and the chief Ranginui who approached with a green leafy branch as a peace sign de Surville. De Surville took Ranginui for the " theft " of his boat fixed, burned down about 30 huts destroyed a canoe filled with nets and stole another. They brought Ranginui on their ship. There, the stranded during the storm crew members identified him as the Māori chief who had treated her kindly.

However, De Surville was determined to keep his prisoner and sailed on the same day in the direction from Peru. Ranginui died after 12 days in captivity. Gary Webb wrote about the event, the poem " Surville at Doubtless Bay ".

A plaque was unveiled at this event in Whatuwhiwhi 1969. The capped anchors were located and lifted on 21 December 1974. One of the anchor is now in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Education

On January 27, 1902, the natives School Rangiawhia Native School was opened in Whatuwhiwhi. The headmaster was until 1919 the Māori Wiremu Taua. It was here an experiment to operate a school with Māori as a teacher. Taua was the first Māori, who was headmaster.

The school soon gained a good reputation and for the Native Schools Māori heads were appointed in the future. The school received in 1906 a new building and then had about 20 students. The school no longer exists today.

Te Kura Kaupapa The new school Maori o Rangiawhia is a co-educational primary school for grades 1-8 with a decile rating of 2 and of 47 students. It is a Kura Kaupapa Māori school is taught in full in the language of Māori.