With only three episodes left to film, the Ngāi Tahu mahinga kai web series is almost complete.

Last month we spent a weekend in Invercargill with Cyril Gilroy and the fantastic cooks of Murihiku Marae. We went in search of toheroa and were rewarded with childhood memories of collecting shellfish and tales of horseback school-holiday adventures.

After discussing a species on the brink of extinction and issues of a sustainable take, we were treated to a feed of toheroa patties. There was no way the cooks would prepare their famous toheroa soup with cameras around.

In Karitāne, we met Khyla Russell and Brendan Flack, who introduced us to a pāua reseeding programme. We discussed declining numbers, the success of their 10-year rāhui and we witnessed a struggle for survival following a vicious starfish attack. After much manaaki we once more left our hosts with full bellies.

The Ngāi Tahu Mahinga Kai series is a lifestyle documentary series featuring 12 eight-minute episodes filmed in the stunning landscape of Te Waipounamu. It captures the stories and the essence of traditional food gathering practices passed down through the generations and offers a window into the lives of Ngāi Tahu whānau carrying out the food gathering traditions of their ancestors – from whitebaiting on the West Coast, tuna and pātiki on the east, medicinal rongoa plants in the north and toheroa in the far south.

The Ngāi Tahu Mahinga Kai series will be released in July 2015 on www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz, and through Facebook.

Another kaimoana

Done

Kai

Mateka cooking with gas

The sweet meat