Vandals who chopped down two sacred pou on Ninety Mile Beach have been warned that there will be retribution.
The local iwi says it will be hard to forgive the destruction of the carved poles at Tauroa Point and the culprits can expect some very bad luck to come their way.
Iwi members were shocked to find the desecration of two pou, or carved poles, cut to the ground.
Two stumps and some sawdust are all that remain of the pou.
"They were specifically cut in a special way, the heads were taken off them and for us it's such a huge insult," says Te Rarawa iwi guardian, Patau Te Pania.
They were erected a kilometre apart to mark the beginning and end of a rāhui or seafood gathering ban put in place 10 years ago.
Local iwi Te Rawara was concerned over the amount of paua being taken.
"They were put in specifically for a purpose, to look after the environment here," says Mr Te Pania.
Locals appeared to accept the rāhui but the banning of motorbikes from nearby sand dunes around a year ago didn't go down so well.
“It's probably someone who's from outside the area who's come in and wanted to joy ride around on our beach and sand dunes," says Te Rarawa iwi leader, Haami Piripi.
The stretch of coastline known as Otia is not only beautiful but sacred to Māori because it's where Te Rawara ancestors first came to shore in their tribal waka from Hawaii.
The iwi says because the area is tapu, there will be natural justice.
Iwi plan to repair the pou and say the rāhui remains in place despite their absence.
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