In Māori tradition, the river is inhabited by a taniwha called Kaiwhakaruaki, who used to attack the people of Motueka and Tākaka. This tradition derives from Society Islands in Polynesia, where a monstrous shark called 'Aifa'arua'i (a cognate of Kaiwhakaruaki) is said to have lived in the Parapara Strait between Motue'a and Taha'a islands (cognates of Motueka and Tahaka).[1]
^Anderson, Atholl (2015). "Ancient Origins, 3000 BC – AD 1300". In Anderson, Atholl; Binney, Bridget; Harris, Aroha (eds.). Tangata whenua : a history. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books. p. 30. ISBN9780908321537.