In the north-west, we find the birth place of Rangitihi, where he lived and raised a family. This is also the arrival place and residence of the sacred Te Arawa waka.

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Natural growth has seen Ngāti Rangitihi occupy and sustain themselves on the Tarawera River with its access to the coastal areas, inland use of the wide-open spaces of the Kaingāroa plains and settlements and resource areas across streams, wetlands, and bush areas from the Paeroa range in the south-west, south to specific places on the Waikato River and east to the Rangitaiki River, and beyond.