Te Ati Awa Carving

Carving detail at Waikawa Marae, Picton

A New Waharoa

Mou, Moko Mo Nga Iwi Katoa

For You, For Me, For All People

The New Waharoa (gateway)

at Waikawa Marae, Picton

Fenced In

A traditional Maori pa was a collection of houses on ancestral land, which were protected by surrounding pallisades. You won't find those in New Zealand these days, although a number of modern marae do have surrounding pallisade fences based on traditional designs. I photographed this new one a couple of weeks ago at Picton's Waikawa Marae, a Te Ati Awa iwi base.

Waikawa Carvings

Two of my favourite carvings

On the exterior

Of the very beautiful Waikawa Marae

At Picton.
August 2009. Ajr

Top of the South

On Thursday, I flew up to Blenheim for the day to carry out some interviews for a story on Maori health. In the process of that, I was taken out to Picton, to Te Ati Awa's Waikawa Marae. They've been busy carrying out renovations there over the last few months and everything is looking wonderful....new kitchen, new gardens, new fences, re-painted carvings, a new waharoa....lovely!

I particularly loved their beautiful wharenui (meeting house), [called Arapaoa], which was built in 1994. I wasn't allowed to photograph inside of course, but I have to say the interior carvings and tukutuku panels are stunning. I can however, show you some of the exterior carvings and the painted rafters. The carvings at every marae are entirely distinctive of course and these were a beautiful orange-brown I hadn't seen before - largely caused by weathering by the sea air.

A Gift of Art

A Gift of Art

From Queen Charlotte College

To Te Atiawa's Waikawa Marae at Picton

Picton. August 2009 Ajr