Ōkahu Bay lies adjacent to Te Whenua Rangatira, occupying a dominant headland near the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour, collectively the ancestral home of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. The spiritual significance of the land was recognised by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei ancestors who sought to safeguard Te Whenua Rangatira as a place which links water, land, forest and sky (Tangaroa, Papatūānuku, Tānemahuta and Ranginui) maintaining a strong link with surrounding cultural landmarks within the isthmus and beyond.