Tangaroa

Say it: tah-nga-RO-ah · Often read as 'tanga' (to spread) + 'roa' (long) — the long expanse.

Tangaroa moves in tides. He teaches that everything arrives and departs, and that abundance follows respect.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tangaroa

Te Kōrero (the story)

The sea and everything living in it. His breathing is the tide, which is why fishing and planting were timed to the moon rather than the clock.

When the winds of Tāwhirimātea drove his children inland and out to sea, Tangaroa withdrew to the deep. His descendants became the fish and the reptiles. The tides are his breathing — the reason fishing, planting and rest were timed to the moon.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Son of Ranginui and Papatūānuku; brother of Tāne, with whom he has an old quarrel.

Father of Punga, and through him the fish and the reptiles.

Kin to Hinemoana, the ocean's surface, and to Tinirau who keeps the fish.

All fresh water eventually returns to him — the awa are his relatives, not separate.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

The sea, its depths and its tidesFish, kaimoana and all water-dwelling lifeRivers, lakes and rain once it reaches the groundRāhui — the closing of a place so it can recover

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

The back of a wave throwing spray off in an offshore wind.
Salt drying on your arms.
The tide arriving where you had put your things down.
Rain on a roof loud enough to stop the conversation.
The tap — all fresh water eventually returns to him.
Any beach, harbour or river mouth.
Fish, kaimoana, and the smell of salt in the wind.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

Entering the water

Wet your hands and touch water to your head before you swim. It is a greeting and a request.

Taking kaimoana

Say aloud what you're taking and for whom, then stop at that number.

Turning on a tap

Once a day, notice it. Drink the glass slowly. It is his water passing through your house.

Leaving the beach or river

Face the water, say thank you, and don't leave with anything living in your pocket.

If you are new to this

Drink a glass of water slowly and treat it as something given rather than bought.

A Common Misunderstanding

Rāhui (a temporary ban on taking food from a place) is not superstition — it is fisheries management with a spiritual seal on it.

Ngā Taha o te Ora (aspects of life)

Wairua (Spirit)Tinana (Body)Taiao (Environment)

Ngā Uara (values)

Manaakitanga · Care and hospitality

Take only what you can share.

Tapu me noa · Sacred and unrestricted

Some places and times are set apart.

Rāhui · Temporary restriction

Rest lets abundance return.

Ngā Pūrākau (the traditional stories)

Told in full, the way they would be shared out loud. Versions differ between iwi (tribe), hapū (sub-tribe) and whānau (family).

Te riri o Tangaroa — the sea and his brother

Why the tide chews at the shore, and why fish and lizards are cousins.

About 4 min read

Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa — the ocean that was a road

How the largest ocean on earth became a highway, not a barrier.

About 4 min read