According to Ngāti Awa traditions, the Nukutere landed at Waiaua in the Bay of Plenty, bringing with it supplies of taro, along with specimens of karaka and ti plants. Te Whakatōhea traditions say that Tauturangi came to New Zealand aboard the Nukutere. Tauturangi was the ancestor of Tūtāmure, whose descendants would eventually form the Te Whakatōhea iwi.