There were once three mountains that lived in the Hautere forest overlooking Tauranga Moana. One was tanewainuku who still stands there today adorned with the tallest trees and beautiful birds. There was also the female mountain whenua, a beautiful hill, clothed in the finest ferns, shrubs and trees of the forest of ne. The other was a maunga pononga or a nameless mountain.The nameless mountain was desperately in love with Pūwhenua. However, her heart already belonged to tanewainuku.There seemed like no hope for the nameless one who decided to end it all by drowning himself in the Pacific Ocean, Te Moananui Kiwa.Calling on the patupaiarehe, the people with magical powers, the nameless one asked them to plait a magical rope and then haul him down towards the ocean. Chanting, they began to haul the nameless one slowly towards the sea, gouging out the valley where the Waimapu River now flows. Waimapu means ‘weeping waters’ and is so named after this journey to the sea. The path also created the channel which flows past Tauranga City out to the ocean.