Korero o nehe / our ancient journey 

Indigenous Māori have a belief that we are spiritual beings living an earthly experience. Māori people also are known for their manaakitanga, their ability to care for others. Wiremu Conroy, local kaumātua and historian of Te Ra O Tuu (Rahotu) stated once that "Our people had charity in abundance….". We have an ability to use the powers of nature to heal ourselves. By the act of standing still and listening to the voices of nature we can connect to our spiritual side, open up our senses and ensure positive healing occurs.

Let us tell you about the origins of Mākoha…With an authentic heart, the whisper of an ancient spirit, and the strength of an ocean current, it was the young woman Pungaereeree whom introduced the world to the wellness dance that is Mākoha.

Pungaereeree is of Ngati Hau Poto hapu and Taranaki iwi. Her connection is to Rahotu, a small coastal village close to Parihaka on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. This region is known for peace and passive resistance activities of and the two great Māori prophets Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi (Ask That Mountain: The Story of Parihaka; Dick Scott, 2008).

At one time Pungaereeree was blown away from the shores of Aotearoa and she was taken overseas. She soon became very lonely for her iwi 'home' . She asked herself "How can my waka 'boat' carry me back home when the ocean is so wild?…

Pungaereeree yearned to be back on her homelands. It seemed as though there was no way that she could get herself home to her people. Every day she would brace her body near the wild ocean beach from across the Pacific, her eyes would fill with tears as her spirit longed to be near her mountain… near her whakapapa… To escape the loneliness she began to stand still, she heard a voice singing to her in the wind. She had a feeling of Mākoha drumming loud inside of her. To connect herself with her iwi she would dance, she would dance in her miri miri, and while she healed others she would heal herself.

In contemporary sense Mākoha is a massage experience that honours Māori traditional knowledge. "A Mākoha treatment is like moving heavy old jackets from the aura and body, allowing one's truth to express". The Mākoha massage oil blends capture and share the essence of Mākoha miri miri …the journey begins…