tapu te ranga island is said to be patawa, a point from which the legendary maori chief kupe sighted the giant octopus te wheke-a-muturangi, which he pursued across cook strait. in pre-european times, island bay was home to several pa, including te mupunga kainga, today represented with a pou in shorland park. a succession of iwi occupied island bay, including ngai tara, ngati ira.