A Walk on the Wild Side

Image Courtesy Dart River Jet Safaris

The ancient beech forests of the Dart/Rees Track are believed to be one of the best examples worldwide, of a sub-temperate ecology dating back to prehistoric times. Certainly, when I stand in these dark, remote, moss-covered forests I have a very real sense of what the world may have been like 80 million years ago and I always keep an eye open for approaching dinosaurs. (A figment of my over-active imagination of course but I always think that if a dinosaur is going to appear anywhere, it would be somewhere like this). But if you venture into these parts with the team from Dart River Jet Safaris (owned by Ngai Tahu Tourism), you’ll be introduced to another side of this remarkable place – to the old hunting traditions of early Maori and to the myriad uses they found for many of the forest trees and plants. Take the Horopito for instance - also known as the New Zealand pepper tree – which Maori used to treat stomach ache and diarrhoea. Its leaves are known to stimulate the circulation and because of their antiseptic properties, Maori used them for skin complaints….. first steeping them in water, or chewing them beforehand. Funnily enough, it is now trendy for many New Zealand restaurants to use horopito as a natural spice marinade, or rub for assorted meat cuts. The juvenile stems of Horoeka, or Lancewood – a tree of multiple forms during its lifespan - were used to make spears; and lancewood leaves were pounded to make a brush of sorts that was used in rock painting. www.dartriver.co.nz

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

The Subtleties of Maori Tourism

When most people think of Maori tourism they think of kapa haka groups and song and dance performances; but Maori tourism has become a lot more sophisticated and it’s often much more subtle than that. The song and dance performances have an important role to play but there are enormous opportunities for Maori culture to be incorporated in a more understated manner. One company doing just that is Ngai Tahu Tourism, which now owns a wide range of tourism businesses from boating experiences to iconic guided walks, hot pools and eco-tourism adventures. I think immediately of their Dart River Jet Safaris, which whisk you 37 kilometres into the remote reaches of the Dart River in the deep-south and into the World Heritage Area of Mt Aspiring National Park at the base of the Southern Alps – and area frequented by early Maori hunting for highly-prized pounamu (greenstone). It is in the jet boat commentary that you get introduced to the Maori component of the venture – a commentary that talks of the mystery of the long lost treasure remembered by old Maori and recorded by the first European explorers; tales that tell of a sacred pounamu location known as Te Koroka.

Both Images Supplied by Dart River Safaris, Queenstown.
Up-river at Puia, passengers are told of the small temporary Ngai Tahu settlements that dotted the area; and of Puia, the site of a significant early Ngai Tahu settlement, which was used as the first stopping point from Te Koroka, further upstream. Early Maori would raft the stone downstream in mokihi (small rafts made from reeds) and stop at Puia to break the pounamu into more manageable pieces, which they would carry over the alpine passing, wearing nothing but paraerae (sandals) and tahau taupa (shin protectors) woven from the tough leaves of ti kouka (cabbage tree) to ward off the spiky Taramea (Spaniard Grass); and feather cloaks for warmth. The inaka pounamu (pale greenstone) from this region is very distinctive and was the most highly valued of all. It was transported to coastal settlements and fashioned into tools, weapons and jewellery and traded throughout New Zealand.
Te Koroka was eventually overtaken by more accessible West Coast pounamu sites and knowledge of 'the great rock taniwha with a tongue of pounamu spilling from its mouth’ was relegated to legend, although the story was preserved in the oral traditions of Ngai Tahu. It wasn’t until 1970 when a hunter named Tom Trevor found a boulder that he took back to Queenstown, that Te Koroka was rediscovered. That discovery was not made public until 1976 and investigations showed little had changed in the area since Ngai Tahu’s early visits. Today the area is protected by a topuni – a Maori custom where a person of chiefly status extands their mana (power and authority) and protection over an area or person. Entry to the sacred site is by written permit only – and a Dart River Jet Safari into the general locale is probably about as close as most people are ever going to get to it. www.dartriver.co.nz

Relaxing in Rainforest

Glacier Hot Pools, Franz Josef. Feb 2009 Ajr

I stopped in at the West Coast’s latest attraction a week or so ago – the Glacier Hot Pools, which opened in the South Westland village of Franz Josef in November 2008. Developed by Ngai Tahu Tourism in partnership with Joseph Developments (Franz) Ltd, the multi-million dollar complex sits discreetly amid a fist of ferny rainforest – as if they’ve always been there – a perfect example of the ‘touching the landscape lightly’ principle. They’re the only commercial hot pools on the South Island’s rugged West Coast and with three outdoor pools and three private pools (with more to come) at temperatures 36-40 degrees, they’re a big hit. It’s a very attractive and well designed complex. www.glacierhotpools.com