Rākaihautū

Rākaihautū was the captain of the canoe and a Polynesian ancestor of various , most famously of Waitaha and other southern groups, though he is also known in the traditions of Taitokerau and in those of Rarotonga.

Origin Rākaihautū originally sailed with his wife Waiariki-o-āio, their son Te Rakihouia, and their people from Te-patunui-o-āio aboard the canoe over 34 generations ago.

On the journey to the South Island, the heavens and the ocean blocked the canoe's path until Rākaihautū chanted a and cut a passage with his adze. He eventually landed the at Nelson, on the top of the South Island.

Exploration From Nelson, Rākaihautū and his wife separated from Te Rakihouia and began to explore the Southern Alps. Rākaihautū dug out the large lakes from Lake Rotoiti, Lake Rotoroa, and Rangitahi in the north to Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri in the south.

Specific lakes that Rākaihautū is credited with digging include Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Lake Ōhau, Lake Hāwea, Lake Wānaka, Lake Wakatipu, Whakatipu Waitī, Te Aitarakihi near Washdyke, Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora, and Lake Forsyth.

Legacy Namesakes of Rākaihautū include (The Storehouse of Rākaihautū) and (The Fish Basket of Rākaihautū).

He is most famously known as an ancestor of Waitaha, and the lesser known Te Kāhea, (Te Kāhea's namesake lived around 9 generations after Te Uhi-tataraiakoa.) Tūhaitara herself had some Ngāti Māmoe ancestry. that had been present there were collectively called , including the original group with that name. might have otherwise been the name of Rākaihautū's adze onboard the when it arrived to the South Island.