Oinako is the name of a stream near Akaroa. It takes its name from an incident that occurred following the battle at Parakākāriki Pā.
After the victory Ngāi Tahu chiefs set out to explore around the harbour and claim territory as was the customary practice. Tūtekahikura (Tūtakakahikura) having left his family at Pōhatu (Flea Bay) encountered Oinako, a Ngāti Māmoe chief.
Despite having escaped death at Parakākāriki Pā in the ensuing encounter with Tūtekahikura, Oinako was to fight his final battle here. Oinako lost his life beside this stream that now bears his name.
Tūtekahikura’s own life was short lived; he later died in a duel with Ngāti Māmoe chief Tūtemākohu on the Taieri Plains.
Sources
- H.C. Jacobson and J.W. Stack Tales of Banks Peninsula, The Akaroa Mail, 1914
- Gordon Ogilvie, Banks Peninsula – Cradle of Canterbury, Government Printer, 2007
- Louis Vangioni, Māori Names & Traditions – Points of Interest Around Akaroa Harbour, The Akaroa Mail, 1970
- Te Maire Tau and Atholl Anderson editors. Ngāi Tahu A Migration History, Bridget William Books, 2008
