The Legend of Hinemoa

Look across lake Rotorua where you’ll see Mokoia Island. This tiny landmass is where the origins of Rotorua’s most famous tale of forbidden love took place……

One evening Tutanekai and his friend were playing music together on the island, the sound drifted across the lake and charmed the beautiful and noble-born Hinemoa. When Tutanekai visited the mainland he met the highly ranked Hinemoa and they secretly fell in love. When the time came for the humble young man to return to his village, the lovers secretly arranged for Tutanekai to play his flute and for Hinemoa to follow the sound and join him.

That very night Tutanekai began his serenade however Hinemoa’s people, suspecting something was afoot, had hidden all the canoes. Hinemoa was not to be deterred and selecting empty gourds as floats, decided to swim to the island. Guided by her loved one’s music she safely reached the shore near a hot spring, in which she warmed herself. At that moment Tutanekai sent his servant for water. The man disturbed the girl who, pretending to be a man, spoke in a gruff voice and begged for a drink from a calabash which she smashed as soon as she’d had her fill. The servant then went  back and reported what had happened. He was ordered back again and again, each time with the same result, until all the calabashes were broken. The now irate Tutanekai himself went down to the pool and to his joy discovered Hinemoa. They lived happily ever after!