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.

A Northern Discovery

My time in the Far North (April-May this year) was a busy blur of hotel and travel guide business, photographs and unscheduled side-tracks down dusty, gravel roads leading to who-knows-where. I discovered all sorts of things that way - places I'd never been to before, places I knew nothing about. Sometimes I didn't even have to veer off the main roads; I just came upon new surprises quite by chance.

This was one of them - the delightful Te Kaiwaha Marae at Waiwhatawhata. I would have whizzed right by it had my attention not been caught by the yellow roadsign marking the Waiwhatawhata Stream. That was a lovely long name I HAD to have for my Maori Place Names Series, so I pulled up in a hurry - and found myself right outside the gates to pretty Te Kaiwaha Marae, tucked away, hidden from road view by thickets of harakeke (flax) and native trees. All I have been able to establish about the marae is that it is home to the Ngapuhi hapu (sub-tribe) Ngati Korokoro/Ngati Wharara of the Hokianga. www.ngapuhi.iwi.nz

A Northern Ancestor

I photographed this stunning carving inside the Whare Runanga at Waitangi National Reserve - which I wrote about here a couple of days ago. This pou tokomanawa represents Rahiri, the Ngapuhi chief. Pou representing the other iwi (tribes) of New Zealand are placed around the walls of the interior, each displaying the ancestors and distinctive carving styles of their region. www.waitangi.net.nz

The Winterless North

Four months ago I was travelling around the Far North of New Zealand. The skies were blue, the temperatures balmy, the white sands sparkling. It’s hard to believe as I sit here in a Christchurch winter but these photos are proof. I stopped a while at Opononi and Omapere, two tiny seaside towns on the edge of the Hokianga and drove to the top of the hill to take some panoramic shots. When I came down again I saw the sign leading to Kokohuia Marae, home to the Ngapuhi hapu, Ngatu Wharara. I drove up the narrow lane and popped out on the brow of a small hill in front of the marae.

There was a man mowing the marae lawns and he stopped to chat with me. He talked to me about his life, growing up in the hills above the marae; about the recent renovations to the marae's wharenui Te Whakarongotai, which he was very proud of; and about life in the Hokianga in general – where 75% of the population is Maori. It was one of those lovely spontaneous encounters that saw me driving away feeling pleased and happy with life and the people I'm lucky enough to meet along the way of it.

Steeped in History

Waitangi, Northland. April 2009. Ajr

I HAD to stop and photograph these magnificent carvings at Te Tii Marae in Waitangi when I was there in April. The marae (often inappropriately referred to as the Lower Waitangi marae - in relation to its proximity to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds), sits beside the Waitangi River and opposite Te Tii Beach and is the focal point of Waitangi Day celebrations on February 6th each year. It is also an important meeting place for the Ngapuhi people.

Northland Waka Enterprise

Here’s another terrific photograph from the team at Waka Taiamai Heritage Tours that I wrote about on Saturday – a post you can see if you scroll down a couple of postings. This is their waka – called Tupi after one of their local Bay of Islands kaumatua (elders), Tupi Puriri. The waka is central to their Kaikohe/Paihia-based tourism operation. It took a month to build using composite and traditional materials and it adheres to traditional Maori waka design principles, which means it’s very stable and safe to paddle. It can be paddled by a minimum of ten people and can carry a maximum load of sixteen people. Speed of course depends on the type of crew and strength behind the paddles – naturally, with tourists on board it’s usually a slower passage, which suits the story-telling occasion.


Both images supplied by Taiamai Tours, Northland.
Waka Taiamai is a Maori family-owned and operated tourism business with very strong hapu (sub-tribe) and iwi (tribe) values. It was established by Hone Mihaka (Ngapuhi) of Ohaeawai, Kaikohe in 2000. The Mihaka whanau (family) have lived in the Te Tai Tokerau (Birthplace of a Nation; Northland) region for over 900 years and are part of New Zealand’s largest Maori tribe, Ngapuhi; and if you take part in their tours you get to visit their tribal marae, Parawhenua. www.taiamaitours.co.nz www.ngapuhi.iwi.nz

A Te Tai Tokerau Experience

Photograph by John Panoho of Navigator Tours, Supplied by Taiamai Tours, Northland.

Every time I update Frommers New Zealand (travel guide) I come upon more and more interesting Maori tourism ventures. One that's been running successfully for some years is the Te Tai Tokerau (Northland - the Tail of the Fish) operation Waka Tai-a-mai Heritage Journeys, which is based in Paihia in the Bay of Islands. You have a number of choices - being taken across the bay in a 50-foot traditional waka (canoe); soaking in geothermal mineral pools alongside Ngapuhi elders; visiting their marae and enjoying a traditional hangi meal and Maori storytelling; and/or a walk through the Waitangi Maori Village with a Ngapuhi guide. It's another fascinating glimpse into the intricately-woven tapestry that is New Zealand Maori culture. www.taiamaitours.co.nz www.frommers.com www.visitnorthland.co.nz/