Ahurei

Ahurei lies in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, a country of river valleys, rough hills and coasts facing two seas. The Waikato River runs north from Lake Taupō, while the Waihou, Piako, Awakino and Mōkau drain neighbouring landscapes. Natural harbours at Raglan, Aotea and Kāwhia cut into the western coast, where black volcanic sand meets the surf. Before any roads were made, rivers and waka carried people and goods across this country.

Ngāti Maniapoto and other Waikato Māori grew potatoes and kūmara and traded them with visiting ships along the coast. Waka linked settlements around the Waikato and Waipā rivers, and travellers carried small craft over the narrow portage between the Waikato and Manukau waters.