Along with an amazing team, I recently had the privilege of taking a rakatahi rōpū into one of our tino wāhi taonga, Whakatipu Waitai (Martins Bay), on a hīkoi named Te Ara Whakatipu.

The hīkoi was funded by the office of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu as a Manawa Hou initiative and was also supported by Ōraka Aparima Rūnanga and Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio. We spent seven incredible days with this rōpū, who we quickly began to consider as whānau.

The key purpose of the hīkoi was to grow a sense of connection to this wāhi taonga, to our Kāitahutaka, to each other and also to develop our knowledge and competency in the outdoors. We all agreed that this was an incredibly enriching experience for all of us, including the facilitators.

Throughout the hīkoi the rakatahi and outdoor facilitators, Kahurangi Wilson-Mahuika and Mike Talbot, walked a minimum of 50 kilometres in the footsteps of their tīpuna, starting and finishing with an 18-kilometre hīkoi along the Hollyford Track.

Other learning opportunities included fire lighting (in howling wind and intermittent rain), making hīnaki from supplejack, weaving kono, learning and composing waiata (thanks loads Aunty Paulette Tamati-Elliffe), learning about native flora and fauna, mahinga kai and rongoā, discovering how yummy huhu grubs and raw mata/inaka/whitebait are, mihimihi, team building and group leadership.

We also showed manaakitanga and hosted our esteemed manuhiri, our very own Tā Tipene O’Regan, kaiwhakahaere tuarua, Lisa Tumahai and communications manager, Phil Tumataroa.

I would like to thank the superb group of friends and whānau and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu staff and governors who helped support, develop and deliver this programme.

Thank you also to Lynley from the Ōraka Aparima office for all of your support and for finding rakatahi and to Ōraka Aparima Rūnanga for the use of their van and whare in Te Anau. We are very grateful.

To our amazing kaumātua support, Tāua Helen Rasmussen (queen of kai) and Tāua Rangimarie Suddaby – thank you very much.

A special thanks to Lisa Tumahai and Tā Tipene for their support, attendance and guidance. Aku mihi mahana ki a kōrua. Keep an eye out for the full article in the next TE KARAKA magazine. Nā Kara Edwards.

Here are reflections from some of the participants:
“My expectations going into Te Ara Whakatipu were not very high. Having been on other rakatahi programmes and not enjoying it very much, I wasn’t too keen on going at first. However, I would have to call it one of the best experiences of my life. Being in the ngahere with other rakatahi and also some pakeke, completely away from all civilisation, was so awesome.

“It was such a small group that we got to spend a lot of time and build some very special bonds. One of my favourite things about this haerenga was the down time that we had in between our tramps. We had the opportunity to just relax (without our mobile phones) and spin some good yarns – there was never a dull moment.

“The walks were really fun and informative. Our guides Mike and Kahu were really good at relating the ngahere back to us and our whānau.
One experience that was very special was going to Ōpiu, which is the old pā site where my tipuna, Tūtoko and his whānau lived. Going in there with my cousins from Makaawhio who also descend from him was really spiritual and uplifting. There was a lot of wairua in there and I definitely felt at home. The memories that I have going on Te Ara Whakatipu are ones that I will hold close to me forever.” Nā Hinepounamu Apanui-Barr.

“My time spent in Piopiotahi was probably the most culturally significant experience of my life (so far). Not only did I get to meet new people from the same hapū as myself and was able to experience Fiordland, but I learnt so many things about our ancestor, Tūtoko and the stories from the wāhi.

“I’ve been on Manawa Hou before, but none were like this one. The feeling when I was in the area where Tūtoko lived was just amazing. Upon entering the wāhi, Hinepounamu and I were both brought to tears because of the overwhelming sense of place and belonging we both felt. I’ve come away from this wānanga with a stronger sense of who I am and how I would like to be.”
– Nā Lilly Collins.

“The Hollyford hīkoi was a life changing experience. I had no idea what to expect other than we’d be in the wilderness for a week.What I experienced however, was so much more. Staying in the lodge and hiking through the valley provided an intimate experience for me. Our meals were first class and our guides, Kahu and Mike were top professionals. They had an answer for every question that we asked about anything from the history of the area, to flora and fauna and geology. They were knowledgeable and had so much passion for our ngahere and the history of our tīpuna.

“This was truly an emotional and spiritual trip for us rangatahi and it has made a huge impact on our lives – a lot of us found a missing piece of us we never knew existed.

“I’m very grateful to have been a part of this trip. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without you Aunty Kara. Love you all and thank you.” – Nā Rongo A Whare Bennett.

The rōpū returning from Ōpiu.

The rōpū returning from Ōpiu.

Kahurangi and rangatahi work together to make a hīnaki.

Kahurangi and rangatahi work together to make a hīnaki.

Left to right; Hana Thompson and Nopera Coghlan were triumphant in lighting the fire.

Left to right; Hana Thompson and Nopera Coghlan were triumphant in lighting the fire.

Te Ara Whakatipu hīkoi group stop for a pūkana.

Te Ara Whakatipu hīkoi group stop for a pūkana.