Some Significant Sights of Whakatane

There were three landmarks given to Toroa, captain and navigator of the Mataatua waka, by his father Irakewa - a large rock in the mouth of the river, a cave and water falling from a cliff.

There are little remains of Irakewa Rock after the development of the widening of the mouth of the Whakatane River.

Muriwai's Cave - Te Ana O Muriwai
Toroa, Muriwai, Wairaka and crew from the Mataatua waka made this convenient cave just above the beach their communal sleeping place for many nights. Muriwai was given the responsibility for taking the sacred talisman from the waka and depositing it in this cave. Muriwai was a powerful and influential woman and the cave is sacred to her memory. The cave used to be able to accommodate fifty or sixty people but has diminished in size by the Earthquakes in 1886.

Wairere Waterfall
A sacred landmark which supplied fresh water to the early people of this area.
A flaxmill was constructed in 1870 and replaced by a flour mill in 1879. It was later converted back to a flaxmill which closed in 1909 and shortly after burnt down. The stream continued to supply the township of Whakatane with fresh water until 1924.

War Memorial WW1 Maori Battalion
Since 1927 the 'rest room' building has been a memorial to all who died during the first world war. Pictures painted depicting soldiers of the Maori Battalion. Tribal tributes in each upper pillar section. The New Zealand Cabbage Tree to the side and the Pohutukawa Tree on top of the sacred Pohaturoa Rock behind the building.