Hawke's Bay is known to Māori as Te Matau-a-Māui / The Hook of Māui, in reference to the early navigator Māui, who bestowed the first placenames to the region over 1,000 years ago.
Mythical legends place an important role in the transmission of oral histories in Māori culture and Hawke's Bay has a rich heritage of Māori pūrākau (myths and legends). Much of this can be experienced first-hand through a visit to one or more of the many cultural sites - most are open to the public year-round.
