Te Ana o Muriwai (Muriwai's Cave)

Te Ana o Muriwai (Muriwai’s Cave) is one of the most sacred and historically significant sites in the Whakatāne region. It is one of the three landmarks Toroa was told to look for by his father, Irakewa, when the Mataatua canoe arrived at Kākahoroa. The other landmarks are Te Wairere (Wairere Falls) and Te Toka o Irakewa (Irakewa Rock).

Irakewa also expressed a wish that his daughter, Muriwai, should occupy this place. Born of chiefly descent, Muriwai was held in the highest regard and was renowned for her wisdom and second sight. Muriwai originally settled in Ōhiwa, then moved to Ōpōtiki and founded what was to become the Whakatōhea tribe. She returned from Ōhiwa in later years to reside in the cave. She died there and left the place with a heavy tapu, which was lifted in 1963.

At one time, the cave could accommodate up to sixty people, and once extended 122 metres into the hillside. Its original floor was just over a metre below the existing roadway.

Muriwai is a loved and honoured ancestress of the Mataatua tribes whose mana has endured down the centuries. This cave is dedicated to her memory and remains a taonga to this day.