Bird Tales: The Red-Billed Gull

Unfortunately I haven't been able to establish the precise Maori name for this, the red-billed seagull. I've found at least five different words for seagull - katete, akiaki, karoro, tara, and tarapunga. Maybe they refer to different species of gull? As always, any knowledgeable comments left below greatly appreciated. What I have discovered about the red-billed gull though, is that it was once considered tapu, or sacred around Lake Rotorua. This arose from an incident in 1823 when the northern Ngapuhi tribe attacked the Te Arawa people, who were hiding on Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua. Unknown to them, Ngapuhi had brought their canoes in from the coast for the attack. But they were unexpectedly foiled - to a degree - when the colonies of red-billed and black-billed gulls shrieked in alarm when they saw the canoes, alerting the Te Arawa people to enemy presence. After the battle, in which many lost their lives, the Te Arawa tohunga (priest) recited a karakia (prayer) over the gulls, declaring them sacred so they would not be harmed.

More from the Markets

Carved Heru

(Hair Combs)

In Bone

Cathedral Square Markets, Christchurch.

October 2009. Ajr

Tick Tock.

An Orange Clock

The Pathway to the Sunrise

It was a sunny morning at 10.30am when I finally pulled into this rest area overlooking spectacular Waiotahi Beach not far from Opotiki. I had set off that morning from Rotorua and was heading for Te Kaha at the top of East Cape for my first overnight cape stay. It was a 4-5 hour journey that ended up taking me nine hours, due to the fact that I kept stopping to photograph marae, churches and the stunning beaches that make up this beautiful coastline. On that note, may I add that if you haven’t been around East Cape, you really must – especially if you’re interested in Maori culture. You’ll see dozens of marae and some of the most spectacular Maori carving in all of New Zealand.

But back to these beautiful powhenua, also called pou, or poupou (carved poles), which I didn’t photograph all that well thanks to the bright morning sun in my eyes. Standing side by side on the rise above the beach at Paerata and called Te Ara kit e Rawhiti – The Pathway to the Sunrise, they tell the story of both the Pakeha and Te Whakatohea histories of the area. They were carved by local Master Carver, Heke Collier of Opotiki and were originally unveiled in 1991 near the Waiotahi River Mouth. They were moved to this location, just off State Highway 2, in 1996.
I spent some time here. There was no one else about but for a few passing cars and the lone seagull that looked down on me from the top of one of the pou. Waves were crashing onto the beach and I had plenty of time to think about the Te Whakatohea iwi (tribe), its six hapu (sub-tribes) and the rich bounty – fish, birds, shellfish, forest, eels – that have sustained its people over generations. Like much of the East Cape region, there’s a lovely sense of ‘paradise lost’ about the place and it’s always a wonder to me that more people haven’t discovered it. www.whakatohea.co.nz

The Back Cupboards

New Zealand photographer, filmmaker, artist and designer, Neil Pardington (Ngai Tahu, Ngati Mamoe, Ngati Waewae & Scottish descent), opens his amazing show The Vault at Christchurch Art Gallery tonight. I’ve been looking forward to this exhibition for months for it brings together all the things I love – museums and especially museum storerooms, photography, taxidermy, artefacts, collections, the notion of memory and stored histories – they’re all there in beautiful, brilliant images that resonate with a million of my own stored memories. I collected everything as a child and my father made me little glass-fronted cases for storing my birds’ egg collection, my butterflies, my pressed leaves and flowers, my seed and nut collection, my stone and gemstone collections. How I never ended up working in a museum I’ll never know – but it’s no surprise to me that one of my sons does. (He’s at Auckland Museum).

That aside, Neil Pardington’s ‘Vault is another matter entirely – a brilliant ‘expose’ of the behind-the-scenes artefacts and collections in storage. He got the idea for the photographic series while he was working behind the scenes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and it has been a work in progress ever since, as he has explored the vaults, archives and basements of museums, art galleries, archives, banks, libraries and hospitals – “my focus is on places we store those things that are precious to us and conversely, those very similar spaces we store the obsolete and unwanted,” he has said of his work.
In the Christchurch exhibition, Pardington presents 40 photographs (taken on large-format camera) that ‘expose storehouses of memory and places filled with mystifying treasure.’ They include my favourites, the stuffed animals and birds…all with cute little cardboard labels attached to their legs; paintings attached to sliding storage walls; specimens in jars; rooms filled with mannequins; shelves filled with rolls of film in tins; Maori artefacts; buildings filled with army vehicles; textiles, card catalogues and much more. It’s a scrumptiously voyeuristic peek into the normally unseen, off-limits world of the nation’s treasures and it will be on show at Christchurch Art Gallery until March 14, 2010. www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz www.neilpardington.com
Images supplied by Christchurch Art Gallery are, from top to bottom:
Neil Pardington Taonga Maori Store #4, Nelson Regional Museum 2007. Lambda/C-print, dimensions variable. Reproduced courtesy of the artist.
Neil Pardington Taonga Maori #2, Whanganui Regional Museum 2006. LED/C-print. Reproduced courtesy of the artist.
Neil Pardington Land Vertebrates Store #1, Auckland Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira 2008. LED/C-print. Reproduced courtesy of the artist.

Unravelling History

I’ve spent some weeks now trying to find out about this gorgeous little whare - called Te Whakaruruhau - which I spied on Ferry Road here in Christchurch, when I was driving past one day. Turns out it was once part of the now-closed Te Waipounamu Maori Girls’ College, and Anglican initiative that was established in 1909 in the old St Alban's Vicarage in Mill Road, Ohoka, not too far from the Maori settlement of Tuahiwi (home to the Ngai Tahu hapu, Ngai Tuahuriri).

Tuahiwi was a large, thriving Maori community then and was also home to a Maori mission, which was established in the 19th century. I’ve featured the historic Maori church (1867) on this blog previously. It still is a largely Maori community but it's much smaller - now a cluster of houses, primary school, sports grounds, the church, a marae - just north of Christchurch.

Te Waipounamu was the only Maori girls’ boarding school in the South Island and by 1921 (1926 according to some other accounts), it had moved to Christchurch and girls from all over New Zealand attended because of the school’s excellent reputation for teaching Maori language and culture. This beautifully carved little whare was the old school chapel. In Christchurch, the school served many decades and then became a college hostel for Maori school girls. The site – to the best of my knowledge – is now a Maori cultural centre incorporating a hostel and educational facilities. That’s all I’ve been able to find out. If anyone has any further information, I’d love you to leave a comment below.

Maori Place Names - 34

Tikitiki, East Cape.

North Island

May 2009 Ajr

Sculpture in the Park

Following on from my comment about plaques or information boards beside Maori works in public places, I was heartened to find just that near this rock carving in Christchurch Botanic Gardens. Te Puna Ora, The Stream of Life, is an historic site blessed by Tip Manihera ...the rest you can read on the plaque.

The rock has been carved by local carver, Riki Manuel and Douglas Woods and if you're looking carefully, you might walk right by it without even seeing it, as it's tucked under a tree beside the spring and camouflaged among grasses and ferns.

Books & Stories

I got three terrific little books out of the library last week – that’s them up above. My favourite is ‘he kete he korero – every kete has a story’ – a kete being the traditional Maori woven basket that I feature here on this blog with probably monotonous frequency. I love them and they DO all tell a story through their unique designs, weaving patterns and colours, through the people who have woven them and the materials used. This book, written by Toi Te Rito Maihi and Maureen Lander (Reed Publishing), gives you a charming insight into the weaving practices and kete of 21 artists up and down the country, all from different tribal backgrounds. Gorgeous photographs and intimate stories – definitely a must-read if you’re interested in traditional Maori crafts. Nga Waka Maori – Maori Canoes (ILP Books) by Anne Nelson, is also excellent for its appraisal of Maori marine technology developed in ancient times, through to 20th century waka making. I love the inclusion of early photographs from the 1930s, the racing and regattas, the historical drawings and the modern renaissance of waka carving – all marvellous stuff. Margaret Orbell’s ‘The Natural World of the Maori’ (David Bateman) is also a good read. It details the plants, trees, marine life, birds and land animals that have always played a significant role in Maori life and diet; and the hunting and gathering practices they used to get them. I wish I had more free hours to sit and read my way through from start to finish.

Carvings - A Pair

I spotted these two carvings marking the entrance to a complex on Ferry Road in Christchurch. I've been trying to establish exactly what the complex is and it appears to be a Maori cultural centre of some sort. I'll be bringing you photographs of the stunning little whare (meeting house) I saw there, in a few days time - and hopefully a bit of the history behind it. I always think it's a pity that there are so many Maori carvings and buildings around the country with absolutely no indication at all as to their origins or current uses. Where they obviously arouse interest, perhaps local councils could consider putting up a small plaque or an information board. That wouldn't break the bank, surely?