Only a few kilometres from the centre of Auckland City, there is a piece of land called the Ōrākei block, which has a special significance for both Māori and non-Māori people alike.
Situated between Hobson Bay and Mission Bay, it includes the suburb of Ōrākei, Ōkahu Bay, the Ōrākei Domain, the Savage Memorial, and Bastion Point.
The Ōrākei block
The history of this land tells us much about how the city of Auckland was created. Ngāti Whātua of Ōrakei, the Maori hapu which once owned the land, paid an immense price when it was lost to them. The story of the land at Ōrakei helps us to understand what tribal land ownership means to the Māori people.
