Ngahere Rāwhiti (ŋaˈhɛ.ɾɛ ˈɾaː.fi.ti)

The Ngahere Rāwhiti is a vast jungle on the eastern side of Atu Motu. While it may look wild to outsiders, the jungle is carefully managed by the Tāngata communities that live there, ensuring rich soil and a beneficial mixture of species. They plant and maintain trees that bear edible fruit, as well as plants known for their medicinal value. The soil is enriched with a variety of materials and carefully monitored to ensure it provides a good platform for the jungle to grow from. The Tāngata selectively cull plants and animals that make the jungle less useful to them, although never to the point of eliminating a species, lest they anger the Atua who inhabit the jungle.

Notable Spirits

The Atua of the Ngahere Rāwhiti are many and varied, but all are subordinant to the god of the jungle itself. This is the Atua named Rongomahuta, and he is the lord of the trees. He manifests as a human as tall as a tree, with birds nesting on his shoulders and in his hair. Rongomahuta knows all that passes in his domain, and considers all of its inhabitants, including the Tāngata, as his children. He seeks to maintain the balance of the world so that as many of his children as possible can thrive, and will act to protect them from existential threats, whether from beyond the borders of the Ngahere Rāwhiti or within. If ever a species in his jungle is in danger of extinction, Rongomahuta will act to nurture and protect the remnants in the hope that they can be preserved.

Geography

The Ngahere Rāwhiti covers most of the eastern side of Atu Motu, stretching for almost three hundred miles from north to south. It is relatively narrow, with an average width of about 34 miles between the shore and the foothills of the Kohu Maunga. Throughout this flows the mighty river Awa Ora, which begins at Anuroto in the northern Kohu Maunga and travels over 200 miles south through the jungle before reaching the sea. Most of the villages in southeastern Atu Motu are built on or near the Awa Ora, and they form the Rāwhiti hapū which cultivates the Ngahere Rāwhiti.

Ecosystem

There are an uncountable number of species who make their homes in the Ngahere Rāwhiti. One of the most significant are the Taniwhika. These large reptiles live in the Awa Ora and resemble eels with arms and dragon-like heads, and are said to be the firstborn children of the river's Atua. On land, there is the Reo Kaha, a bipedal reptile that hunts in packs and is known for its speed and sharp claws. There are hundreds of birds, including the enormous Moa-ngahere. Other species include monkeys, sloths, and jaguars.

Type

Jungle

Location under

Atu Motu

Geographic Details

Location: Southern Region
Latitude: 3.59 degrees South
Longitude: 0.75 degrees East 
Area: 9,970.5 sq mi