This eloquent and detailed Taranaki history has grown out of research for the Ngati Ranui tribal treaty claim against the New Zealand Crown. From pre-Hawaiki times it follows the Aotea canoe from Rangiatea in the Pacific to New Zealand Aotearoa and the settlement of Turi and his people at Patea. The battles and alliances over the centuries and the rich and vaired Ngati Ranui history from the narrative background for the arrival of Pakeha from background for the arrival of Pakeha from Europe and the devastation and land confiscations that followed. The story of the successful negotiation of the Ngati Ranui treaty settlement and creation of Te Runanga o Ngati Ranui is told here for the first time. The central theme of this important book is the unwavering determination of the Ngati Ranui tribe to hold onto their land and their autonomy.