A Look at the Details

As someone a little obsessed with the small details of life, this image should not come as any surprise. It's a close-up view of the carving detail on a beautiful piece at Waitangi's Te Tii Marae in the Far North's Bay of Islands.

Celebrating Waitangi Day

Today is a public holiday in New Zealand - designated such to celebrate Waitangi Day, which in turn celebrates the signing of The Treaty of Waitangi at Waitangi in 1840. That's an aerial view of the Waitangi National Trust grounds at Waitangi above. The bridge across the causeway links Waitangi to the nearby village of Paihia in the Bay of Islands.

The two photographs above are among the many I took when I visited Waitangi last April, while travelling New Zealand updating the travel guide Frommers New Zealand. They show two views of Te Tii Marae, which sits adjacent to the Waitangi National Trust grounds and is the focus of Waitangi Day celebrations. Thousands of people and politicians will be packed in here today - and if today is like any other Waitangi Day celebration, some controversey is bound to arise.

The flagpole in the Treaty Grounds
I meanwhile, will be attending the Ngai Tahu Waitangi Day celebrations, which are being held at Onuku Marae in Akaroa. The Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Anand Satyanand will be in attendance. I hope to bring you photographs from today's Akaroa event later today and tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Above the Door

I took this close up of the ornate lintel carving above the door of the Whare Runanga at Waitangi National Reserve. The lintel carving design is adapted from one found in a Hauraki swamp. The carving above the window (only just visible) is a replica of a lintel carving from the Napier district; and the skirting board design reproduces a design formerly carved on bargeboards of important pataka (storehouses). This mixed nature of the derivation of carvings on the Whare Runanga is very much in keeping with the fact that it was built to represent not one tribe, but all the tribes of New Zealand. This concept from proposed by Sir Apirana Ngata, then (in 1934) the Minister of Maori Affairs, as the Maori people's contribution to celebrate the 1940 centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed at Waitangi in 1840. www.waitangi.net.nz

Waitangi - The Whare Runanga

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are home to two important buildings in national history – the Waitangi Treaty House, where the treaty was signed; and the Whare Runanga, a Maori meeting house. Both are monuments to a nation its people and its ancestors. When I was in Waitangi during my latest ‘around-New Zealand’ trip, I spent half a day at the Waitangi National Reserve, wandering the grounds and buildings with lead guide, Wil Napier (Ngapuhi). Wil was brought up on the reserve (his father was caretaker), so there’s no better person to have as your Waitangi tour guide.

The Waitangi Whare Runanga is a little different to most in that it is a building of national rather than tribal significance and as such, it welcomes people of all tribes and nationalities; and it is one of the few whare runanga that you are allowed to take photographs in. Its foundation stone was laid by Lord Bledisloe on February 6, 1934 and it opened in 1940 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It is also unique in that its elaborate interior carvings are a monument to the ancestors of not one iwi (tribe) but to all tribes of New Zealand. The poupou (carved figures) down each side of the interior are arranged in pairs (28 in all), and because the whare runanga is in Ngapuhi territory, the Ngapuhi carvings of their tribal ancestors, Hineamaru and Rahiri take pride of place. The carvings for all tribes were created specifically for this whare runanga under the supervision of master carver, Pine Taiapa of Ngati Porou. Carvings from each iwi tell the ancestral story of each in their own distinctive carving style.

For Maori, the meeting house and marae (literally the grassed area in front) sit at the heart of Maori society and culture. They are a symbol of prestige, a monument to tribal ancestors and much more than a simple architectural statement. Each part of the wharenui (meeting house) symbolises a notable tribal ancestor – the head (koruru) at the top of the roof apex is the head of the ancestor; the ridgepole is his backbone; the bargeboards the arms (with lower ends divided to represent fingers); the interior rafters are the ribs; and the interior is the chest and belly. www.waitangi.net.nz

An Important Plant

Waitangi, Northland. April 2009 Ajr

Kawakawa, Macropiper excelsum or more commonly, the pepper tree, is not to be confused with Horopito, Pseudowintera colorata, which is also commonly known as the pepper tree. Horopito has peppery-tasting leaves but Kawakawa is the one that belongs to the true pepper family - the Piperaceae. Kawa in Maori means bitter, hence the tree’s name in reference to its bitter-tasting leaves. I took this photograph of Kawakawa on a walk through the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on a guided tour with leading guide, Wil Napier, who explained that traditionally, Kawakawa was often used by Maori in an infused tea to flush out the kidneys; or as a treatment for colds and coughs. In fact it had a number of uses in rongoa (traditional medicine). The leaves could be chewed to soothe toothache, stomach problems and indigestion; and the yellow summer berries could be eaten as a diuretic. Tossed on a fire its leaves would create an insect repellent; and leaves were placed over boils, bruises and cuts to accelerate healing. The leaves are also strongly associated with Maori tangi (funerals) and were traditionally used as part of the embalming process. The adornment of greenery is a traditional (and still common) way of expressing mourning for Maori and at a tangi you’ll usually see kuia (older women) wearing kawakawa taua (wreaths) on their heads. The tree’s multiple uses now also include inclusion in a number of commercially available tonics, skincare products and healing balms. Two More Facts: The Kawakawa is closely related to the Polynesian kava plant; and its heart-shaped leaves are frequently filled with holes made by the looper caterpillar (Cleora scriptaria).

Giant Waka Gets Makeover

Image Courtesy Waitangi National Trust

Ngatokimatawhaorua is a sight to behold. Probably the largest waka (war canoe) in the world it is 35 metres long, weighs in at 6 tonnes, has room for 120 paddlers and has reached a maximum speed of 27 knots (35mph/51kph). Built in 1935 from three massive kauri trees felled in Northland’s Puketi Fortest and launched as part of the Centenary Celebrations in 1940, it now sits in a specially designed korowai (shelter) at Hobson’s Beach on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the Bay of Islands. It was carved by seven carvers at Waipapa, near Kerikeri under the supervision of Pita Hepera, and is a larger version of the waka that carried visiting and raiding parties on long coastal voyages before and after the first Europeans arrived in New Zealand. The name Ngatokimatawhaorua was the name of the original voyaging waka in which the ancient explorer, Kupe is said to have used on his voyage to Aotearoa.

Left: Tau Iho Right: Taurapa Photo: Ajr April 2009

Tauiho - April 2009. Ajr
The carved tau iho, at the front of the canoe, is an ancient genealogical record and a history of construction; while the elaborately carved taurapa (sternpost) is used for navigation. It is designed to cut the head wind and when it whistles, it is an indication that the vessel is balanced and travelling in a straight line.

Rear View showing taurapa. April 2009. Ajr
The waka is still used every year during the Waitangi Day celebrations and it will be the showstopper at the 2010 Year of the Waka Waitangi Day celebrations, when over 50 waka from around the South Pacific come together. To ready her for the event – and her 70th birthday - the team from Te Aurere Waka recently met at Waitangi to give her a makeover. The waka was completely pulled apart and repaired, tarred, repainted and relashed. www.waitangi.net.nz

A Hero's Welcome

Image Courtesy Waitangi Trust

When Corporal Willie Apiata VC visited Waitangi he was given a hero's welcome. Apiata, a corporal with Special Air Services of New Zealand is the first recipient of the Victoria Cross of New Zealand, which he was awarded on July 2, 2007 for bravery under fire in Afghanistan, when he carried one of his fellow soldiers to safety through an active battlefield. http://www.waitangi.net.nz/