Over subsequent generations the descendants of Taraia split into various hapū. Allegiances shifted, and Māori geopolitics in the region was largely played out as an internal struggle for dominance among the hapū of Ngāti Kahungunu, with the exception of raids by Ngāti Porou and repeated attempts by Ngāti Raukawa to settle in Heretaunga. Over time, some Ngāti Kahungunu hapū settled in the Wairarapa region, finding a relatively peaceful existence there until the arrival of European settlers. Of the many hapū to emerge in Heretaunga, Ngāi Te Whatu-i-Āpiti and Ngāi Te Upokoiri were two of the most dominant. The former were the people of the ancestor Te Whatu-i-Āpiti, who was a great-great-grandson of Rakaihikuroa, descending from his second marriage. His descendants had a fierce rivalry with Ngāi Te Upokoiri, which was descended from Taraia through marriage to one of his grandsons.