Portrait - 46

One the Beach

At Kaikoura

Feb.2010 Ajr.

A Carved Guardian

Guarding the Entrance

Takahanga Marae

Kaikoura

Ajr 2009

From the Tattoo Files

Ta Moko

(Tattoo)

at

Takahanga Marae

Kaikoura Feb.2010, Ajr

From the Kete Files

A Quiet Corner

Weaving Studio

Takahanga Marae

Kaikoura

Feb.2010. Ajr

More from the Tattoo Files

One Man

Two Tattoos

An Incomplete Picture
Takahanga Marae, Kaikoura.

Feb.2010. Ajr

A Giant in Miniature

A Giant Sculpture

Rendered Small

Takahanga Marae

Kaikoura

Feb.2010. Ajr

A Portrait - 20

A Thoughtful Pose

By the Ocean

Jimmy Amers Beach, Kaikoura

April 2010. Ajr

A Portrait - 18

Young Girl on a Waka Unua

Kaikoura

April 2010. Ajr

Marae Carving

Carving Detail

Takahanga Marae

Kaikoura

April 2010. Ajr
Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura is one of my favourites. Not only does it occupy a history-riddled hilltop site above the town with staggering views of the dramatic Kaikoura coastline and mountains, it also has an impressive collection of contemporary art - inside and out, Pakeha and Maori (including a beautiful Bill Hammond painted screen in the whare kai (dining room). I won't ramble on about all that here because I have written about the marae previously and shown many examples of the art and carvings. You can see those by clicking on Takahanga Marae in the label line below this entry.

Moko and A Cultural Journey

These are two of my favourite photographs, taken at the Waka Wananga at Kaikoura back in April. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time as this young Ngai Tahu waka ama (outrigger canoe) paddler lent a hand to raise the sail on the beautiful waka unua (double-hulled voyaging canoe) that was the focus of the weekend workshop on the history and rennaissance of Maori ocean voyaging and celestial navigation traditions. An independent group of Ngai Tahu waka ama enthusiasts had organised the weekend to prepare their crew of 20 for their first waka unua voyage around Hauraki Gulf in Auckland. You can read more about this in my previous blog entries by clicking on Waka or Voyaging Waka in the label line below this entry.

Traditional Designs - 18

One Bowl

Embellished in Red and Black

Takahanga Marae

Kaikoura

April 2010. Ajr

More on Waka

I thought I'd throw in a few more of my favourite shots from the Waka Wananga at Takanga Marae in Kaikoura that I reported on recently for Ngai Tahu's Te Karaka Magazine.

It was the first time a waka unua (above) - a double-hulled voyaging waka - had been launched in Ngai Tahu waters for possibly hundreds of years and for the young Ngai Tahu crew intent upon reviving Ngai Tahu's maritime traditions, it turned out to be a spectacular weekend.

But it wasn't just about waka unua, several of the particpants had brought along waka ama (outrigger canoes) - everything from one-man to double and multi-crew canoes took to the Kaikoura waters. And for those down from the Waikato (and those originally from Hawaii), there was something pretty special about seeing waka ama gkliding across the ocean in front of the majestic, snow-capped Kaikoura Ranges. If you'd like to see more photographs and words on this event, click on Waka in the label line below this post.

Paua - Favourite Kaimoana

Paua is the Maori name given to three species of large edible sea snails belonging to the Haliotidae family - known as abalone in the Northern Hemisphere. In New Zealand, the best known of the paua species is Haliotis iris and while it has a beautiful irridescent blue-green shell, in my opinion, the slimy, black 'animal' within would have to be one of the least appetising-looking potential meals I've ever come across.

But looks can be deceiving. Given a thorough bashing to tenderise the flesh and then sliced thinly and barbecued, paua flesh is indeed a delicacy. To Maori, they are a taonga (treasure) and they are sought after both as a food and for their colourful shells, which are often incorporated into carvings (usually to represent eyes) and jewellery. Another favourite way to eat paua is to mince them and make them into fritters. These juicy specimens were caught at Kaikoura and were served at the final meal of the waka wananga I attended recently at Kaikoura's Takahanga Marae.

Overlooking the Ocean - A Kaikoura Marae

Takahanga Marae at Kaikoura in the South Island, sits on a high hill overlooking the village of Kaikoura and the ocean beyond. It's a beautiful spot and one that comes with a rich, layered history. The main wharenui (meeting house) [above]opened in 1992 but the marae occupies a site that has been home to Maori for over 800 years. In recent history - back in 1828 - there was a battle on the marae site, the buildings were burnt down and the whanau (occupying families) moved north to Mangamaunu. When the local Ngati Kuri (a Ngai Tahu hapu) decided to build a new wharenui on the site in the 1990s, they carried out an archaelogical dig and found the 800-year-old foundations of the old wharenui, over which they laid the new structure.

I spent this last weekend at the marae, covering a waka wananga (canoe workshop) for Ngai Tahu's TE KARAKA magazine and I was once again struck by the beauty and atmosphere of the place - all this enhanced of course by an astonishing collection of contemporary Maori carvings and artworks by leading New Zealand artists - Neil Dawson, Bill Hammond and Chris Booth to name just a few.

Some of my favourite works are the striking pouwhenua - above (Neil Dawson's "Feather" just visible to right) - that stand sentry in several parts of the large hilltop property. They have an aura about them, a strength and a magic that is almost tangible when you stand beneath them. It goes without saying of course, that if the grounds are so beautifully embellished, the interior of the new wharenui must be likewise - and indeed it is. Colourful contemporary carvings that depict the hapu's dramatic history and their whakapapa (genealogy) twirl and swirl their way up the walls and across the ceiling. We had our evening talks in the wharenui - everyone happily sprawled out on their sleeping mattresses listening to the speakers and looking up into the colourful intertwining of history elements and family histories. Hypnotic almost.

www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz www.tekaraka.co.nz

Takahanga Carvings

One of my favourite contemporary carvings

@

Takahanga Marae, Kaikoura

Coastal Walkway

Kaikoura. April 2009 Ajr

It was very early morning when I pulled into South Bay at Kaikoura on my way north a few months back. But I had heard all about the new Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway and regardless of weather or time of day, I was determined to stop and take a look. That meant sitting in my car awhile waiting for the sun to come up and while it was still far from a perfect photographic day, I eventually got some shots. The walkway is a joint community project between Whale Watch Charitable Trust, Te Runanga o Kaikoura, the Kaikoura District Council and the Department of Conservation. Whale Watch and Te Runanga o Kaikoura have allowed access over private land for part of the walkway and its well supported by excellent information panels detailing the history, people, geology and the flora and fauna of the area. At 11.7km long, the track is a good three hours from South Bay around the coast to Kaikoura itself and even early in the morning, it was being well used by walkers and runners. These carvings are all at the South Bay end. I haven’t been able to find out anything about them yet but I am assuming they have been created by a team from Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura. I’ll get back to you when I have clarity on that – or if any readers can tell me, please leave a comment as I’m keen to find out the details.

Tiny Tiki

Tiki on a String

Kaikoura

April 2009 Ajr

Takahanga - A Place By the Sea

Kaikoura. April 2009. Ajr

When you walk through the old whale ribs onto Kaikoura’s Takahanga Marae it’s hard to know which comes as the bigger surprise – the laden apricot trees, the wafting scent of roses, the sight of agapanthus and dahlias rubbing shoulders with cabbage trees and olives, or the giant Neil Dawson feather sculpture swirling in the sea breeze. Sited on an historic pa site above Kaikoura township with panoramic ocean views, the marae and its eleven acres exude a welcoming sense of ‘homestead,’ of inclusiveness. And as you walk through Chris Booth’s geranium-clad stone archway onto a Michael Smither’s stone path, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d entered a sculpture park. In front of the main meeting house a cluster of gigantic totara sculptures created by Maori carver and sculptor, Cliff Whiting and the late Bill Solomon, provide a formal welcome. There are the pottery footsteps made by sculptor Bronwyn Cornish, the screen gifted to the marae by Lyttelton artist, Bill Hammond and inside, a collection of photographs by Wellington’s Ann Noble.

Kaikoura. April 2009. Ajr
On a site that has been occupied by Maori for over 800 years, it’s an unexpected break from tradition. That says Cliff Whiting, was always the intention.
“Back in the 1970s Ngai Tahu recognised that no new marae had been built for a long time and they saw the need to develop their cultural identity. Once the site had been agreed upon with the NZ Historic Places Trust, an archaeological dig was carried out, confirming that the original site was very close to the new plans in development. When it came to developing the garden, the local Ngati Kuri people were very much guided by the presence and preservation of original pallisade mounds,” he says.

Kaikoura, April 2009. Ajr
In a unique departure from tradition, Ngati Kuri, under the guidance of the late Bill Solomon, recognised their shared histories and the fact that since the early 1880s, many of their people had inter-married with Europeans. “Bill got the idea of involving pakeha artists in the development of outside areas and everyone worked together in a very deliberate way to integrate that inclusiveness into the whole marae statement. It was the first marae to do that and while some of the ideas have since been incorporated into Awarua at Invercargill, it remains the quite unique,” says Whiting. (This is an extract from a feature I originally wrote in 2005, published in Urbis Landscapes).

A Whale of a Tale

All Images Courtesy of Whale Watch Kaikoura

The sleepy little east coast South Island town of Kaikoura hasn’t looked back since the day five local Maori families set up Whale Watch back in 1987. In the business’s first year of operation (1989) they carried 3,000 passengers with just one boat. Today they operate four boats and they take over 100,000 people a year out on the changeable Kaikoura waters in the hope of spotting one of the visiting whales. On paper it may have seemed like a long shot but today you have to admire the original Maori families who put their homes up as collateral to secure enough money to get started. They raised $90,000 and most of that went on the boat. Today they still own 51% of the company as a charitable trust, with the balance of shares held by Ngai Tahu. Whale Watch expanded rapidly and keeping pace with the explosive growth has been their biggest challenge

In 1994 Wally Stone joined Whale Watch as managing director, signalling a whole new mindset for the organisation. New boats, refined approaches and a strategic growth plan all cemented Whale Watch as the town’s most enterprising asset, which has fed close to $2-million back into the community. In 1989 there were five tourist operators in town, including Whale Watch. Now there are over 45, plus accommodation providers, shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants. There is a brand new supermarket and where other small towns in New Zealand are losing their banks, Kaikoura has three – not bad for a town with a population of just 3,500. And today the old railway hums to a different tune – the frenetic comings and goings of over 700 Whale Watch passengers a day - and Whale Watch, now one of New Zealand's leading tourism experiences, is a keen supporter and sponsor of local marae, schools, sports teams and community groups.

For those involved it was always about setting up a new economic base for the town when the railways moved out. Almost every Maori family in town had someone employed by the railway and their closing was a big loss to the community. It is fitting that Maori led the charge in the revitalisation of the town. Maori legend tells us that Kaikoura is the spot where Maui placed his foot to steady himself while he ‘fished up’ the North Island. Archaeological remains found there, indicate that around 900 years ago the peninsula was inhabited by moa hunters; and early Maori settlements were established in response to the region’s abundant food sources. Whale Watch today serves as the perfect reminder of what can be achieved when a small community takes charge of its own destiny; and what happens when the natural world is revered rather than exploited. www.whalewatch.co.nz

Sing Along.....

.... with Maurice Manawatu

of Kaikoura's Maori Tours

www.maoritours.co.nz