Pounamu Pathway

 

So recently in Greymouth a new building was finished and opened for international and national tourists. The Pounamu Pathway partnered up with the well known WETA Workshop to create a cultural experience through digital technology to show off the West Coast's culture of Maori legends, settlements, battles, explorers, traders and pioneers. It's all about the history.

There are also similar centres in Haast, Hokitika and Westport which are all linked together. 

Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's Signs.

Otatara Pa

During our trip to Taupo 3 years ago (I had forgotten I'd taken these photos), we spent the day in Napier as my grandmother on my mother's side grew up there. This was one place we decided to visit.

Otatara Pa site is a historical reserve and walk which sits on top of a hill outside of town. The carvings are known as Pou.

So there is an upper pa (Hikurangi) and a lower pa (Otatara). Visitors can see the remnants of terraces, living sites, and food storage pits.

The area covers over 40 hectares and is one of the largest and oldest pa sites in the Hawkes Bay area.

Maori preferred this place because of it's strategic point in Napier and of it's expansive views over the region.

The Chief Turauwha was very important at this time, around 400 years ago. Another Maori named Taraia lead Ngati Kahungunu (a tribe) to Heretaunga where they attached Otatara. 

Through living there, intermarriage and power/influence they expanded to dominate the region.

In 1973 part of the pa was designated as a historic reserve to protect what is remaining. In 1987 management of the reserve was passed to the Department of Conservation which has carried on added parts to the pa to show how it once was.

Otatara Pa is now registered as a category 1 historic place. Information from the Hawkes Bay website.

 Linking up with Through my lens, All Seasons, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

Kōkō

 

I'm very fortunate to have a Kōwhai tree in my front garden. Kōwhai is the Maori word for yellow and as you can see from the colour of the flowers they are very vibrant. Every Spring they attract these birds known as the Tui or the Kōkō in Maori language.

In Te Ao Maori this bird has a huge significance. They are thought of as messengers of Atua (God's) in heaven. They are associated with life fulfillment, confidence and spiritual harmony.

Native birds including the Tui but also the Kereru (wood pigeon) and Bellbird all love to feast on the flowers which are an important source of nectar food for them.

Linking up with Mosaic Monday and Blue Monday.

Ahaura Carvings

On our way to Reefton recently we passed through the small town of Ahaura which is about 40 minutes from Greymouth. It is literally a very small town which has houses, a pub and I think a local store from memory. I stopped to take a photo of this tiny cottage which has alot of Maori and Pasifika carvings outside it. I'm not sure who owns it but it sure is unique.

Linking up with Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

Dinosaurs

A mural from Murchison - this one I saw on the side of a small old building that was selling Pounamu and wood carvings. It's slightly faded but I can just make out scenery, trees and a Dinosaur so I'm guessing that whoever the artist was, they were sharing a glimpse of what New Zealand once looked like.

Linking up with Mural Monday

Paihia I-site

 

All around New Zealand we have little wee buildings that are designated as i-sites aka information places for tourists where they have knowledge on local places and businesses etc. This one in Paihia is located right next to the wharf and has a Maori carving (pou) on either side which were created by artist Tupari Te Whata from Tautoro which is south of Kaikohe. 

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, Travel Tuesday, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

The Manaia

On the side of the building in Whangarei is this quirky odd looking mural named "The Manaia" which was painted for the Whangarei Street Arts Festival. In Maori culture it symbolizes a mythological creature believed to be the messenger between the earthly world of mortals and the domain of the spirits. It was painted by Brazilian artist Mateus Bailon who was born in Santa Catarina when he visited New Zealand.  

Linking up with Mural Monday.

Whakamaharatanga Hoia o Te Arawa

This rather interesting memorial located in one corner of the Government Gardens in Rotorua caught my eye recently.  The original idea for this came from the Ohinemutu Native Patriotic Assocation in 1919. Later the Te Arawa Trust Board took over the project and still cares for the memorial today. The board hired sculptor William Henry Feldon to design it which he did alongside local iwi (tribes).  He then created the memrial with architect Edward La Trobe Hill overseeing the project. The statue of Rangitihi, at the bottom is a replication of the original which was vandalised in 1936 created by Rakei King in 2018.

King George stands on the pedestal, below him is the star Rehua which is said to have guided the Arawa Waka (canoe) to New Zealand. 

Under this section are a tier of panels which depict: King Edward VII, Queen Victoria, King George V, a white marble cross, a navy seaman, a red cross nurse holding a floral wreath, an army soldier in a mirrored stance to the seaman.

Under another tier is a section of panels depicting: Maori weapons, local missionary Reverend Thomas Chapman, governor Hobson signing the Treaty of Waitangi under the watchful gaze of Ngati Whakaue chief Tanira Te Tupara, the God Puhaorangi looking down from the heavens at the beautiful maiden Kuraimmonoa. 

Another panel shows the Maori Regimental Badge which has 2 Maori weapons crossed under a crown, a further 2 panels which list the names of those men from Te Arawa who died during the war. The figure standing on the stone block on the steps is the Te Arawa chief Rangatihi, on the front stone block is an image of the Te Arawa waka (canoe) and lastly the Krupps field gun is thought to have been captured by the Maori Pioneer Battalion at Le Quesnoy, northern France.

Phew so that is alot of information!

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

The energy of Opepe Cemetery

 

B introduced me to this place, tiny Opepe Cemetery just off the Napier Taupo highway where he said not many people knew about which is maintained by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 

Opepe was a settlement in New Zealand, a few miles southwest of Taupo. It was the scene of an attack between European militia and Maori on 7 June 1869 in which nine members of the militia were killed.  The Opepe Maori settlement was at the intersection of two major pre-European walking tracks (Taupo-Napier and Urewera-Tokaanu). It was the birthplace of the Maori leader Te Rangitahau. 

During Te Kooti's War, in early June 1869 Te Kooti and about 150 of his supporters moved towards Lake Taupo in the center of the North Island. At Opepe, just short of Taupo, they ran into party of fourteen Militia, who were camped in the abandoned village. Nine of the militia were killed with no loss to Te Kooti. One of the men, who was drying his uniform, escaped completely naked across rough country in mid-winter, and was awarded the New Zealand Medal. A military stockade was built at Opepe in 1869 but closed in 1885. The township thrived for several years in the late 19th century. 

We walked through a 10 minute native bush walk before we reached the cemetery and strangely enough we could both feel the strong energy in the air.  At one point as I was rounding a corner a huge fern frond dropped to the ground next to me and nearly made me jump.

There are 2 tracks that lead off from the main entrance, one that is about 90 minutes long and the one we took. Two of the graves hold the bodies of the nine members of the Bay of Plenty Cavalry who were killed on 7 June 1869 by Te Kooti's advance guard: Alex McKillop, Charles Potier, Hector Ross, Michael Slattery, Ernest Lawson and Charles Johnson.

The other three are the graves of later settlers: Edward Andrehen, Henry G. Leslie and W. Turner.  The totara headboards are the original ones, which have been repainted several times over the years. However, they were showing the effects of time, and it is suspected that water ingress was causing the paint to peel and crack. This process has been completed and the headboards were re-installed in the little cemetery at Opepe by Department of Conservation staff on Christmas Eve 2010.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, Travel Tuesday, My Corner of the World and Wordless Wednesday.

Fast moving Aratiatia Dam

On one of the drizzly rainy days we spent in Taupo recently we thought it would be a bit different to visit Aratiatia Dam  to see the gates open where water would flow through to the river below. At the top normally this boat and it's owner take people out for jetboating experiences, I've done that before in Queenstown and it's really not my thing.

The huge gates had opening times of 10am, 12pm or 2pm, we chose the morning one. You can either stand on either side of this bridge and look over or walk down a designated track next to one end which is what I did.

This shot was taken while standing on the bridge facing both the gates.  The name "Aratiatia" means "Stairway of Tia" after the legendary Maori explorer Tia who first arrived at the rapids and was fascinated by the tiered form. 

This memorial stone says "This Kohatu is dedicated to the people of Ngati Tahu-Ngati Whaoa. Near the Aratiatia Rapids was the settlement 'Atahaka' one of the many Maori settlements. Atahaka had cultivations, cherry trees, burial places and a river crossing place nearby".

There were 2 tracks, this one took 10 minutes to walk down to and the other took about 30 minutes as it leads further up for a higher view.

We heard 3 loud sirens, starting at 15 minutes 5 minutes apart and then the gates slowly opened letting water through which falls 20 metres in the space of 1 kilometre. The rapids have been harnessed to produce environmentally sustainable hydro-electric power and the station was first built in 1964.

 So apart from not being allowed to swim there for obvious reasons this place was part of a memorable scene from the movie "The Hobbit - The desolation of Smaug" when the dwarves are escaping from the captivity of the elves by hiding in barrels which were thrown down stream.

Here is a video I found on youtube someone else uploaded - you'll be able to hear the siren going off at the final warning and the water rushing through the river.

Linking up with The Weekend Roundup and  Weekend Reflections.

Share with care

 I love finding little things like this that pop out of nowhere on my travels. Seen on a footpath in Taupo it apparently is a Maori proverb that means "love given, love returned" and is a timely reminder in this day and age of how we treat each other. 

After Prince Philip's death and how his family came together on the day of his funeral it got me thinking about my own ancestors. Obviously the royals knew/know each other pretty well but I don't have alot of information about those who came before me except for immediate grandparents/great grandparents etc so I've started typing up kind of like a memorandum of my life, thoughts and what I've found out so far on my genealogy journey. Hopefully after I've gone, whenever that happens, my children will be able to have something of me that tells a story of my life.  Over the last 2 days I have been feeling a bit blah, not sure if it's the change of season or what and we don't watch a great deal of what's on the television (it's usually rubbish anyway) so we search for interesting things to watch on youtube - we found this one yesterday, makes me grateful for where we live and for having access to medicine, see what you think:

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, Travel Tuesday, My Corner of the World and Wordless Wednesday.

Maori Culture in Kaikohe

 Another mural on the side of a shop that's closed for business in Kaikohe, this one again I have been unable to find the artist but the painting looks like it's showing the richness of Maori culture in the region.

We are away this week on our annual holiday, this time to Taupo and Napier - I have set some posts by date to come up but we won't have internet access so I won't be able to visit you until we return. See you soon...

Linking up with Mural Monday.

Pohui-nui Pa Site

Every time I drive through Kaeo I've wanted to stop and take a photo of this mountain but recently I wrangled my camera to get a shot as we drove past. Pohui-nui Pa site is just on the edge of town and you can see the layers that have been dug down the side of the hillside. 

 This particular pa site use to be fortified belonging to the Ngati Uru Tribe who arrived in Whangaroa around 1770-1775 having been drive out of the Rawhiti area of the Bay of Islands. 

As an example the pa site could've looked something like this - the layers were built into the hill to make it harder for the enemies to climb and easier for the occupatns to see who was coming up.

Linking up with Timeless Thursdays and Skywatch Friday. 

Please decide

 Another Kaikohe mural - this one is in the Marino Court area. After googling it I think this one maybe have been painted by kiwi Denis Wilford.  "Whakatau MaiRa" means in Maori "Please decide". 

Linking up with Mural Monday.

Walk up to Akeake Pa Site

On Tuesday morning after B had gone to work I drove out to Opito Bay (our fishing launching spot for our boat) with the intention of exploring the nature walk there that leads to the Ake Ake Pa Site. Most nature walks managed by our Department of Conservation are dog free because of the kiwis that live in this area.

These are the first lot of steps at the start of the nature walk, weirdly enough it was at this spot I felt a sharp stabbing pain on the front of my ankle. I looked down, opened my sock and found a wasp hanging off my skin trying to sting me. After swiping it away the pain continued for another 15 minutes then gradually eased off - luckily I'm not allergic to insect stings.

This was looking back after the 2nd set of stairs - quite a nice even pathway uphill.

I was the only one there so it was so nice and peaceful even with the sound of Tuis singing away and the odd Fantail flitting around me curiously.

On my journey around the loop I counted about 6 possum traps all up. Possums here are not native, they were introduced through colonisation but now unfortunately they eat the native trees and plants so they are definitely not wanted.

At one pointed I saw this whiteboard leaning against a tree written by a Department of Conservation worker about some of the other traps that people had stolen.

After a 15 minute walk I reached the lookout point at the top of the Pa Site - amazing views looking out over the peninsula. The water is still still like a mirror - it would've a perfect day's fishing out there.

This part is the Tareha lookout point and offers views also over the Te Puna Inlet, Motupapa Island, Moturoa Island and the Kent Passage.

The original people of this Pa (maori village or defensive settlement) interacted with the earliest missionaries who sailed past on the way to the Kerikeri Mission Station (Store Store and Kemp House).

A chief named Tareha was an ally of Hongi Hika (who cut the flagpole down at Waitangi) gave his support to the local missionaries. He was well known for his bravery and skill in leading the warriors into battle.

He was also known for his huge size being a big man and large appetite. When missionary Samuel Marsden invited him on board his ship "Dromedary" there was not a large enough chair for him to sit in.

The first locality to attract the early whalers was the Te Puna area (near the river inlet), Chief Akeake would have contact with the traders through observation from the Pa.

Not much fungi up there but it's possibly the wrong time of year as we are in very early Autumn so maybe in a month or so there may be more.

Linking up with Timeless Thursdays and Skywatch Friday.