To navigate the wetlands, the tīpuna (ancestors) built specialised waka tīwai (dugout canoes). You can see a surviving example at the Central Hawke’s Bay Settlers Museum.

The pūhara (watchtower) offered a commanding view over the landscape and its resources. Sentries were stationed here to alert the pā inhabitants to any threats.

The tīpuna (ancestors) needed knowledge of warfare and mau rākau (Māori weaponry), to protect their hapū. They learnt this from a young age. It was part of the teachings of whare wānanga (houses of learning), as were other forms of essential knowledge – like fishing, weaving and horticulture.

The whare (houses) were built into the earth and sides of the hill to retain warmth. They were mostly used for sleeping.

Kai was stored in pātaka: storehouses raised on posts, to keep it safe. Pātaka of varying sizes served different whānau (family) groups. Chiefs had large, ornately carved pātaka, signalling their mana (power and authority) and allowing them to provide for their own people as well as any guests who visited the pā.

Hāngī (earth ovens) could steam large quantities of kai underground: eels wrapped in flax, kākahi (freshwater mussels), kūmara, taro, and fern roots.

Birds – like kererū, kākā and tūī – were an important food source. The tīpuna created a range of snares and spears to catch birds in the forests.

The tīpuna maintained pākihi and karinga aruhe (fern root cultivations). They dried the fern roots, then later processed them for eating by soaking them in water, roasting them, and pounding them to soften them.