This is the place

Many generations ago, the athletic Aupouri chief Tohe, was on one of his walking trips down the west coast when he came upon something that made a frown furrow his forehead. There in a tree above him, was a here, which was a snare or trap made with a piece of flax and set on a branch of a suitable tree and baited with mir berries, the favourite food of the kukupa.

This here he could see with a glance, was a bad one for it was so made that it would capture birds of all sizes, even very tiny ones.This waste was something of which a true Maori did not approve. It was a generally accepted rule not to catch more birds or fish, or gather more shellfish than was needed, and this conserved their supplies.

So Tohe called Taumaha, the chief who had instructed his men to make that particular snare, and said sternly, to him, "He here kino, terra". That is a bad snare, destroy it at once, and do not make any more like it or I'll tell my tohunga to put a makutu on you." Feeling very ashamed and frightened, Taumaha quickly obeyed.

As Tohe was leaving he said, "to remind you and your descendants of this incident, I will call this place Te Here-kino-a-Taumaha, the bad snare of Taumaha. In time for the sake of convenience this long name was shortened to “Herekino”.

From: Tai Tokerau, Florence Keene

Source: Northland Room, Whangarei Central Library