At the heart of Hukutaia stands Taketakerau, the burial tree. This giant Puriri tree, estimated to be over 2000 years old, was used by the Upokorehe hapu as a place to store the bones of their distinguished dead. The tree was highly tapu (taboo) and any interference with the site was deadly affront of the atua (ancestral gods), bringing death to the offenders.
