According to Māori legend, Kupe Raiatea was the chief of the Polynesian tribe Hawaiki. In 925 AD, he discovered New Zealand. Also aboard the Matawhourua canoe was Pekahourangi the Tohunga and Kupe’s wife, Hine-te-aparangi. When she sighted land, she exclaimed, “He ao! He ao!” This translates to, “a cloud, a cloud.” So Kupe named the new land Aotearoa meaning “long white cloud.” In 1939, artist William Trethewey created this statuary in plaster. He called it “The Coming of the Māori.” This rendition along the waterfront was cast in bronze in 1999.
