Administering Maori Land

When I travelled around New Zealand last year updating Frommers New Zealand 6th Edition, I spent a couple of hours driving and walking around the small eastern Bay of Plenty town, Opotiki, which I always see as the start of one of my favourite driving adventures - the magnificent East Cape road. The town may be small but it is richly decorated with traditional and contempoary Maori art - everything from colourful street murals to school gateways embellished with amazing traditional carvings, modern Maori carvings and Maori-owned buildings like this one - home to Te Whakatohea Maori Trust Board.

The Trust was established in 1952 and now administers the properties of Te Whakatohea iwi (tribe) - buildings and farms - and also provides school and health services and training across a wide range of occupations and trades.

As I roamed the streets, I also came upon this Maori Arts Gallery - closed unfortunately, and a little hard to tell in fact, if it was even currently operating - also established by Te Whakatohea.

www.whakatohea.co.nz

School's In.

It was mid-morning when I drove into the Bay of Plenty town of Opotiki. The skies were impossibly blue and I was on the lookout for interesting things to photograph. Amazingly, I drove right past these spectacular gates at Opotiki Primary School. It wasn't until I was on my second circuit of the town photographing something else entirely, that I happened to glimpse them in my rear vision mirror.

It goes without saying that I made a hasty U-turn and pulled up outside the school. My wandering was short-lived though as a huge white bull terrior came bounding towards me. It was just one more of these hideous dogs that seemed to think I looked like a tasty snack. They're one of the few dog breeds that really frighten me. I leapt back in the car and took my remaining photos from the car window and I was unable to get the details about the carvings - other than the fact that the European figure represents Sir Bernard Fergusson, Governor General of New Zealand from 1962-1967. I loved the fact that so many primary and secondary schools from Opotiki onwards on my journey around East Cape to Gisborne, feature stunning carvings and ornate gateways. You rarely see such overt expressions of traditional Maori culture and craftsmanship - in the South Island especially - and I think it's marvellous that the kids in these areas grow up in the midst of it all. Like all kids though, I guess many take it for granted. www.opotikinz.com

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

Making an Entrance

Opotiki, Bay of Plenty. May 2009. Ajr

When I visited Opotiki in May, on my way around East Cape, I called in to the local visitor centre to see if they could give me some information on the Maori carvings in the main street. Sadly - and surprisingly - they were unable to give me anything beyond a small mention in their Pacific Coast Highway guide, which I had already found. As if to make up for that, the man in charge talked excitedly about the new carvings at the Opotiki District Council. "They're just next door," he said. "You should have a look. We're very proud of them." And so they should be because they do make a very bold entrance statement. Sadly, he couldn't tell me anything about their derivation either. So I phoned the council myself and discovered they were carved by Heke Collier of Opotiki, who has carved a number of major works in the district including Wairaka, in the town's mainstreet (which I have featured here a few weeks back); and the beautiful carved poupou (poles/totems) at Waiotahi Beach, near Opotiki, which I will be featuring soon. www.odc.govt.nz www.opotiki.com

Bay of Plenty Building Designs

Opotiki. May 2009. Ajr

One of the things I loved best about travelling from Rotorua to Opotiki and on, right around East Cape to Gisborne, was the proliferation of Maori pattern and design that you rarely see now anywhere else in country - apart from on marae of course. It's everywhere and Opotiki was especially colourful. Take these traditional patterns that decorate the Whakatohea Health Centre for instance - a small, otherwise insignificant little 1920s stucco building made handsome and distinctive in the town's main street. Te Whakatohea is the main iwi of the Bay of Plenty region and the lands of the six hapu (sub-tribes) stretch from Ohiwa Harbour in the west to Opape in the east and inland to Matawai. I'd love to make a return trip here to explore some of those much-less-travelled inland areas - one day soon I hope. www.whakatohea.co.nz

Colourful Opotiki

Opotiki. May 2009 Ajr

My time in Opotiki was all too short – a drive through basically; a few loops around the main streets; a few stops for the all-important photographs – and then onward around East Cape. This small Bay or Plenty town, sitting on the banks of the Otara and Waioeka Rivers, is the gateway to East Cape and it has a rich Maori history. Long before European settlement it was a bustling Maori community and Pa Kowhai extended all along the river banks. It was home – and still is of course – to the people of Te Whakatohea and evidence of early Maori settlement has been found in ancient pa sites at Tirohanga, Makeo, Paerata and Tawhitirahi – all close to Opotiki. Today the Whakatohea Trust Board manages the iwi assets including dairy farms, buildings, mussel farms and educational programmes.

Opotiki. May 2009 Ajr

Opotiki itself is rich in colour, texture and pattern. I particularly liked this enormous carved pou (post) that stands at one end of the main street. It depicts the area’s history from the arrival of pakeha to the development of trading, agriculture and horticulture. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to find out who the carvers were but maybe we can just enjoy it for the bulk and heft it adds to this quiet little town’s streetscape. www.opotikinz.com

More Living Colour

Opotoki, Bay of Plenty. May 2009. Ajr

OPOTIKI

Where they're not afraid of colour, pattern and murals.

I spotted this decorated fence between two shops in the main street

Welcome

Front Gate

At a Private House

In Opotoki

May 2009. Ajr