Grand Central

Tongariro National Park. April 2009. Ajr

I’m a North Islander – brought up in the Waikato – but my favourite North Island landscape has always been the central plateau – that marvellous, barren, rusty-red expanse that is now, in tourism terms, being billed Te Kahui Tupua – The Sacred Peaks. Combining the three districts of Ruapehu, Wanganui and Rangitikei, it is without doubt, the most geographically spectacular area of the north. The three mountains Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe and the three rivers, Whanganui, Whangaehu and Rangitikei are the dramatic focal points. This is an area riddled with Maori legend – too long and convoluted for me to repeat here. Suffice to say it has always had a special place in the hearts of Maori. And it was in 1887 that the Ngati Tuwharetoa paramount chief, Horonuku Te Heu Heu Tukino IV gifted what is now Tongariro National Park to the people of New Zealand, creating our first (and the world’s fourth) national park. In 1990 the area was declared a World Heritage site and is the first in the world to be given the status of cultural landscape, in recognition of its importance to Maori culture. You can read more about Te Kahui Tupua by visiting www.tekahuitupua.co.nz

Going Bush

Top: Ngahuia Tahau (Ngati Kahungunu,Tuwharetoa) from PureORA Walks teaches a Japanese tourist how to hongi on the Rotopounamu Track in Tongariro National Park. Bottom; Ngahuia demonstrates a tasting of horopito, the pepper tree. Images supplied by pureORAwalks.

Pureora Forest Park, Tongariro National Park and Whirinaki Forest Park – all in the central North Island – are alive with a diverse ecology, ancient trees and flourishing birdlife. Now, in the company of knowledgeable Maori guides from pureORAwalks, visitors can taste, touch, hear and smell these magnificent, untouched, natural environments that have retained the unique beauty and spirit that comes from thousands of years of growth. PureORA is the only guiding company with rights to guide the entire length of the visually spectacular Tongariro Alpine Crossing and when you join them on the 19.4km trek that takes you up the saddle between Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro and then over Mt Tongariro, you’re treated to a memorable nature and cultural interaction. And on their Nature-Culture walks you’ll learn about the hongi (greeting), weaving, poi making, basic carving in volcanic pumice and the poi dance; and you’ll get to taste some of the plants that played a key role in the lives of the guides’ ancestors. The Tongariro Crossing is rated one of the best one-day walks in New Zealand and by interweaving the experience with legends and Maori lore, pureORAwalks have created a special experience. www.pureorawalks.com