Taketakerau

Taketakerau (Vitex lucens) is sacred to the Ūpokorehe Iwi (Tribe). It grows in the Hukutaia Domain, near Ōpōtiki, and is considered to be more than 2000 years old. The ancient tree was used 200 to 300 years ago by the people of Ūpokorehe to safeguard ancestral bones. The area is a wāhi tapu (a sacred site) and the tree is the reason this reserve survives today, surrounded by farmland. More Information