introducing te taitokerau

our te taitokerau candles are inspired by the juicy citrus fruits grown across the region, and one of the northland region's most popular exports - kaitaia fire hot sauce!

kaitaia fire hot sauce

photo from super hot sauces

northland is the fastest growing region in new zealand, which is probably helped by it being on the doorstep of new zealand's biggest city - auckland. it is home to farms across rolling holls, forests, and extensive beaches along the coasts of the pacific ocean and the tasman sea. northland is also home to the mighty tāne mahuta, a giant ancient kauri tree that stands at over 45 metres (148 feet) above the ground as new zealand's tallest tree. it's been estimated that tāne mahuta has been standing for 1,250 and 2,500 years.

tāne mahuta, the tallest tree in new zealand

photo by natalia volna is licensed under CC BY 2.0

te taitokerau (meaning "the northern tide") is home to the ngāpuhi people, the largest iwi in new zealand, and they played a pivotal part in the founding of the bi-cultural nation of new zealand that exists today. they traded with the first europeans to arrive in the bay of islands, they were among the first māori chiefs to sign the declaration of independence in 1835, and were part of the initial signatories of te tiriti o waitangi (the treaty of waitangi) which is considered to be modern new zealand's founding document.

dame whina cooper, 1975

photo by alh1 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

sadly the ngāpuhi people have also seen the dark sides of the country's history including large land confiscations and the northern war of 1845-1846, which is considered to be the first major battle of the new zealand land wars. this eventually lead to the hīkoi (march) of one ngāpuhi wahine toa (strong woman) - dame whina cooper - to walk from te taitokerau to parliament in wellington in 1975. this earned her the moniker 'te whāea-o-te-motu' (the mother of the nation) for her contribution to māori land rights.