Te Rae o Kawharu
The Brow of Kawharu

“Te Rae o Kawharu means the Brow of Kawharu. Kawharu was a warrior chief from Kawhia. He was a giant of a man. He is said to be around 8 feet tall with a face as long as your fingertip to elbow. Te Rae o Kawharu is the 1680's name for what is now the Surrey Crescent-Arch Hill ridge. There Kawharu rested himself (and his war party) during the campaign of raids, across the Tamaki isthmus, known as "The Stripping Conquest".

To proclaim mana over land in a customary way, he named this place after his brow. In that time, naming the land after your head, in whole or in part, was the strongest, possible, land title available. The tapu was observed for generations thereafter. Thanks to Kawharu's campaigns, Ngati Whatua and others gained control over the Tamaki Isthmus, around 1740, a century later. Another century later, Apihai Te Kawau of Ngati Whatua, invited Governor Hobson, in 1840, to set up the capital in Auckland. Apihai also provided land for the first waves of Auckland settlers.

The name that has been part of our landscape and story for around 340 years is now reflected in our gifted bi-lingual name for Grey Lynn School: Te Rae O Kawharu.”

Taura Eruera

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