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As the famous Maori proverb goes - “Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei.” - which translates to: Seek the treasure you value most dearly; if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain. Speaking of mountains, today we thought of sharing the legendary (yet interesting) short story on the ancient Te Mata Peak for our friends outside of New Zealand.

The legend of Te Mata Peak - This is one story, retold by a local historian:

Te Mata Peak is said to be the prostrate body of the Waimrama chief Te Mata, according to tradition.

The people who lived in pā (protected villages) on the Heretaunga Plains were under continual danger of battle from the Waimrama coastal tribes many millennia ago. The answer came when a kuia (wise old lady) asked permission to speak in the marae at a meeting in Pakipaki (5km south of Hastings) to address the problem: “He ai n te wahine, ka horahia te p,” she remarked. (Sometimes the ways of a woman may overcome the consequences of darkness).

Hinerkau, the lovely daughter of a Pakipaki chief, stepped in and was supposed to make the Waimrama tribes' leader, a giant called Te Mata, fall in love with her, shifting his attention away from fighting and toward peace. The idea worked, but she fell in love as well. Legends say that Te Mata died while proving his love.

Today his achievements can be seen in the hills, known as The Gap or Pari Karangaranga (a.k.a. Echoing cliffs). It is believed that his prostrate lying body forms the Te Mata Peak.

A (more) realistic story goes…

The seabed inclined and displaced 2 million years ago, resulting in the Te Mata Peak landform. It was inhabited by Mori tribes for centuries, then claimed by European immigrants, and finally presented to the community by the Chambers family in 1927 for everybody to enjoy.

Love & The Way We Express Means SOMETHING

Taking a point from Te Mata’s legend the original story, love is powerful! It can move mountains, or it can melt a Giant’s heart, too.

But love comes with a natural condition to express. We ALL have experienced - for your mother, sister, lover, grandparents, pet, etc.

To make your gifting experience a little bit special and unique we recommend some of our finest freestanding piece collections, rooted with our thousands of year-old heritage in New Zealand. 

These one-of-a-kind pieces can be placed at the heart of your living room or bedside table. 

Our freestanding art pieces are made using supreme quality raw materials (such as bamboo, rimu, gaboon, etc.) to ensure that they last longer.

LARGE STANDING TIKI

Starting with the Large Standing Tiki artwork (260mm high) has been crafted from plantation grown gaboon, using laser technology and assembled manually.

This single-sided piece of art boasts rich detailings, paua inlay and comes with a stylish black base to complete the look, related story and a protective box.

LARGE STANDING WHEKU

The Large Standing Wheku artwork (245mm high) has laser-crafted using the gaboon and later assembled manually.

This single-sided piece of art boasts impressive detailing, paua inlay and comes with a stylish black base for completing the look, related story and a protective box.

CARVED STANDING TWIST

This 65 mm high (approx) Carved Twist piece has taken its inspiration from the 40,000-year-old Genesis Kauri, comes with paua inlaid eyes and has been mounted on a black oval base.

CARVED STANDING KORU

The Carved Koru standing piece, too, has been crafted from a 40,000-year-old (est) Genesis Kauri with paua inlay, mounted on a black oval base. (Figure approximately 65mm high)

STANDING KIWI

Stylish standing Kiwi artwork (110mm) crafted from Rimu veneer board.

LARGE STANDING HOOK

This manually-assembled Large Standing Hook artwork (300mm high), laser-crafted from plantation-grown gaboon and has been assembled manually. It is a contemporary representation of Te Matau a Maui. 

This single-sided piece of art boasts fine detailing, paua inlay and comes complete with a stylish black base, related story and protective box.

CARVED STANDING HOOK

Small carved Hook (Matau) crafted from Genesis Kauri that is an estimated 40,000 years old. It features paua inlaid eyes and is mounted on a black oval base.

CARVED STANDING MANAIA

Small carved Manaia crafted from 40,000-year-old (est) Genesis Kauri with paua inlaid eyes, mounted on a black oval base (Figure approximately 65mm high).

LARGE STANDING MANAIA

The Large Standing Manaia artwork (310mm high) crafted from plantation-grown gaboon, using laser technology & hand-assembled.

This single-sided piece comes with a paua inlay and a stylish black base, related story and protective box.

REACH OUT TO US FOR CUSTOMIZED ORDERS

If you want to check out our range of artifacts, check out our website. For other queries, you can reach out to us at the click of a button.

Shipping Information

Turnaround for dispatch is 5 working days from ordering.

North Island delivery is an additional 1-2 days,

South Island is 1-3 days,

and rural is up to 5 days.

Done by Melia Marketing 

The 21st Key is a symbol to celebrate the embarking of a new journey of a [newly-turned] adult’s life. 

It is a very common celebration in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and other parts of the world where an individual’s 21st birthday is celebrated with their friends & family, coupled with great food and drinks.

On this day the celebrant is handed over a “21st Key” which is symbolic, and it means it is a “key to the door” towards “freedom from parental supervision”. During the classical time period, this celebration was restricted among the male population, but later girls were also included, thus welcoming a fair celebration of gender equality.

Our Perspective

As our young adults inherit the aforementioned freedom to choose their lifestyle, it is also a tad important to understand the responsibility that comes along with it. As the saying goes, “With power, comes responsibility.”

What does it mean to enter the age of 21?

The meaning of being an adult is different for different individuals. We’re sharing three examples to help you understand.

Susan, a sophomore in (say) “XYZ” college, recently turned 21. To her, it means to have fun and to live life to the fullest. So, a usual day would include going to college during, hanging out with friends, partying and boozing it up.  Basically indulging in different kinds of fun activities. She just prefers to live life as it comes.

Ron, a fitness buff, also turned 21 and his life is centered around the world of fitness. He wanted to become an athlete and has been putting a great deal of effort into becoming a fitness trainer. Did he not enjoy the attention from the girls (and boys)? Sure, but he was focused! Thankfully he has supportive parents who did not come in the way of his dreams.

Michelle, who also turned 21 this year, was not able to celebrate that special day to the fullest because she was mostly stuck at the hospital where she is working as a part-timer, to support her studies.

Perspective

We did not mean to judge or compare any individual here. What we’re trying to say is that there’s something to learn from one another, all the time. I’m sure that each 21st birthday story is unique and different from one another in its own ways.

Also, since the Covid has hit lives hard, around the world, people’s lives have taken a full turn towards making unexpected turns, decisions and adjustments (like never before). Where some of us have, luckily, escaped it alive, there are others who are struggling to get their way out! So, let’s be kind to one another!

21st birthdays are going to be as special as we want it to be. We can choose what we want, how we want it, based on what it would mean to us.

How are our products related?

Our range of 21st Maori Keys are designed with the same thought, care and passion, keeping in mind the rich value & tradition of the ancestors. Our beliefs are deeply rooted in our culture, and we want to share the same beauty and knowledge of our heritage with the rest of the world. Because it means something to us (and to many, many others out there).

While talking about our culture we feel we could use this space to tell tales of one of the most important characters in a Maori culture - Manaia.

Introduction

In Māori culture, the Manaia is a mythological character that often appears in carvings and jewellery.

The Manaia is commonly portrayed with a bird's head, a fish's tail, and a man's body, but it is often depicted as a bird, a serpent, or a human figure in profile.

A seahorse and a snake are two more possibilities. The word manaia is related to the Niuean fakamanaia and the founding Samoan words fa'amanaia, all of which imply to render a decoration or embellishment.

The Manaia is thought to be the link between the physical world and the divine realm, and its emblem is used to ward off darkness. It is commonly shown in this manner as a figure-of-eight, with the upper half ending in a bird-like beak. This shape was also common in the design of door and window lintels and other architectural elements, as well as ritual arm hafts.

Some Polynesian countries, such as Hawaii and Easter Island, have similar Manaia-like symbols.

Story Time!!

This story goes back thousands of years, when, before the arrival of the Fleet, many quarrels took place in Hawaiki, one of which is linked to Manaia.

Manaia's tale has been conveyed in three different ways, each from the Chatham Islands, the west coast, and the east coast. The manufacturing of spears, an offence against Manaia's wife, and Manaia's vengeance were all significant events in Hawaiki.

(For those who don’t know - Hawaiki is the Maori people's ancient Pacific homeland, from where they are said to have migrated to New Zealand and where their souls are said to return after death.)

Getting back: Following the disturbances and battles, many people fled to New Zealand.

The Chatham Version

According to Shand's version from the Chatham Islands, Manaia was married to Niwa and they had a big family. Manaia instructed his family to carve spears from an akepiri tree, which resulted in the development of 80 spears.

The tree's heartwood was too hard to be worked on, therefore it was discarded. Niwa taught her youngest sibling, Kahukaka, how to transform discarded heartwood into the finest spear of all time, and he did so, in secret.

When the people asked who the craftsman was, Niwa, overcome with pride, addressed her son, saying, "You are my Kahukaka, born of me in the Astelia wastelands, and now you have grown into a man and become wonderful." Manaia deduced that his wife had committed adultery, based on what she said.

When he discovered that her lover was Porohiti, he declared war on him and his people. The tale concludes with the fact that citizens fled as a result of those conflicts, but there is no mention of Manaia himself leaving Hawaiki.

The West Coast Version

Manaia summoned a working group (a.k.a. ohu) led by chief Tupenu to create spears for him. The working party assaulted Rongotiki, Manaia's wife, when he and his people were out fishing (for food) for their guests. Manaia caught a fish by the tail while fishing and deduced from the omen what had happened to his wife.

Rongotiki's return reinforced his suspicions. Manaia surrounded the working party in secret with an armed force and instructed his uncle, Tu-urenui, to lead the assault. "I, Kahukakanui, son of Manaia, have slain the first shark," a young man shouted as he rushed forward and killed one of the workers.

From the young man's cries, Manaia deduced that he was his son, born out of wedlock. The staff was forced to flee the war, and Manaia killed their chief, Tupenu. Other wars proceeded, and Manaia's defeats started to mount. As a result, he fled the nation in the Tokomaru, a voyaging canoe.

The East Coast Version

In this version, Warea was Manaia's wife, and they stayed in a house called Nukuahurangi in Whaingaroa, Hawaiki. Manaia hired a variety of craftsmen, led by chief Tomowhare, to produce spears (tokotoko), halberts (maipi), paddles, and canoe end pieces in addition to spears (tokotoko) (haumi).

Two nesting birds dropped at Manaia's feet when he was in the forest with his people looking for birds to feed his working group. This omen was identical to the fish omen from the west coast edition in terms of context. Manaia returned late at night and discovered his wife sleeping beside Tomowhare under the guest house's window opening (matapihi). He used a piece of blue clay to mark his wife's legs and the lower border of Tomowhare's tapa garment without waking them up (pukepoto). He ran into his party, who had just returned from the forest with their stock of birds.

Manaia led the tau chant fitting for reporting a bird capture as they marched to the area in front of the guest house. Warea was among the staff who spilled out of the guest house early in the morning, roused by the chant. The blue clay testimony was used to prosecute Warea and Tomowhare. Manaia challenged Tomowhare to a single fight, and the Matorohanga tradition of incorporating information is apparent in the assertion that the two opponents clashed first with short spears (tokotoko), then with long spears (huata), and when neither could defeat the other, they switched to short clubs (rakau poto). Manaia killed his opponent in near combat. Manaia escaped to Aotearoa in a canoe called Tokomaru with Te Aowhaingaroa as his priest or navigation officer, fearing the wrath of Tomowhare's wealthy kinsmen.

Contact Us

Make celebrations as important as these stories and bring an edge to the celebrations with our range of quintessential pieces. Check them out here. Make your loved ones feel extra-special and get them customized present by placing your requests here. 

Shipping Information

Turnaround for dispatch is 5 working days from ordering.

North Island delivery is an additional 1-2 days,

South Island is 1-3 days,

and rural is up to 5 days.

Our designs and craftsmanship are largely inspired, as well as, connected to the Māori culture and heritage. So we wanted to share some interesting facts about our culture.

On the 26^th Sept 2012, at Aeon Giftware Rotorua, Kerry was very busy packing orders, when she looked down and saw her sapphire stone had fallen out of her ring… well we searched everywhere but to no avail… Kerry phoned all the customers she had sent orders to before noticing the stone had gone and asked them to keep an eye out for it.. Of course the chances of ever seeing it again seemed most unlikely

One of the lovely customers Kerry spoke to was Ann Rawiri from Taonga Pounamu Wellington

She said she would pray for Kerry and would do her best to get her stone back to her.

Well Ann advised her staff not to touch the boxes that she would go thru herself…. It was a big order with three boxes to go thru but unbelievably Ann found Kerry’s stone.

Well!!! Great excitement at both ends on the phone as Ann gave Kerry the good news. Jason picked the stone up the following week while down in Wellington and it is now repaired!!

Our Thank you gift to Ann Rawiri of Taonga Pounamu, Wellington

A Huge thank you to Ann from Taonga Pounamu Greenstone Treasure/Maori Arts Gallery Wellington… This proves there are still very honest and wonderful people out there. Kerry was very lucky indeed.

Kerry’s now repaired ring.

Rotorua’s Aeon Giftware specializes in personalized corporate ‘wooden’ gifts, with an emphasis on Maori or ethnic styled products – some like those pictured. Pic shows a ‘Deskset’, comprising a business card holder, pen holder, and note paper holder, which can be bought as a set of three or individually. Company or organisation’s name can be laser engraved to order.