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Mount Hikurangi (or ''Te Ara ki Hikurangi'' in Māori) is a peak in the eastern corner of New Zealand's North Island, about north of Gisborne, and southwest of the East Cape Lighthouse.〔 On a spur of the Raukūmara Range in the Waiapu Valley, it is the North Island's highest non-volcanic peak. Mount Hikurangi is within the rohe of Ngāti Porou, and is the iwi's most significant icon. In Māori mythology, it was the first part of the North Island to emerge when Māui pulled it as a giant fish from the ocean.〔 According to these beliefs, his waka, ''Nukutaimemeha'', became stranded on the mountain, and lies petrified near the mountain's summit.〔〔 Nine large whakairo (carvings) depicting Māui and his whānau were erected on the mountain to commemorate the millennium in 2000.〔 Nearby summits include Whanokao (), Aorangi (), Wharekia () and Taitai (). Together, these mountains provide what ''Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand'' calls an "awe-inspiring vista".〔 == The first sunrise of the new day == The peak is traditionally regarded as the first land in the world to catch the rays of the new day's sun, although this claim, like any such claim of its type, is open to interpretation. Certainly it is not true at any time of the year other than the Southern Hemisphere summer, as both Fiji and Tonga are to the east. In summer, however, because of the tilt of the Earth's axis, it does receive the sun's rays earlier than these places.〔Handford, R. "(Gisborne still first for the sun )," ''New Zealand herald'', 4 Jan 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2013.〕 It does not receive them earlier than the Chatham Islands (or, of course, Antarctica), however, and in mid-summer, some of the hills of the southeastern South Island receive the sun fractionally earlier. This did not stop the mountain gaining world prominence in the celebrations for the new Millennium, however. According to the Department of Conservation, the mountain is "recognised and accepted as the first point on the mainland to greet the morning sun".〔 The traditional greeting of South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu to North Island visitors, "Haere mai, e te Rāwhiti!" (Welcome, O Sunrise!), references this fact. Celebrations by Ngāti Porou to commemorate the first dawn of the new millennium in 2000, including karakia led by Tamati and Amster Reedy, took place on the summit of the mountain. In addition, nine massive whakairo depicting Māui's story and his whānau were erected on the mountain as part of the celebrations.〔 They were carved under Derek Lardelli's guidance by students from Toihoukura, the Eastern Institute of Technology's School of Māori Visual Arts.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mount Hikurangi (Gisborne District)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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