“My moko and I had a very friendly day yesterday. We wish to pass our thanks on to whoever helped to make it such a pleasant, happy, enjoyable time.
“The kōrero by David on the old lake opening, the weaving, the poi-making and the friendly people who came and of course the entertainment – thank you all.” Comments from Les Wanhalla, who attended the open day.
These words pretty much sum up the open day we hosted at the marae on Sunday 1 November. We were privileged to welcome members of the local community, representatives of the Selwyn District Council, Police, Corrections, Waihora Ellesmere Trust, University of Lincoln, University of Canterbury, Environment Canterbury, Te Ara Kākāriki and Whakaora Te Waihora. It was also a great opportunity to meet whānau for the first time and to have the chance to sit and chat with our whanaunga, Arihia.
We were blessed with a beautiful day, good food, great company, fun activities and relaxing entertainment. It was certainly a lovely way to spend a Sunday on the marae.
To everyone who came along and shared the day with us, to those who worked hard behind the scenes making sure our manuhiri were well-fed, those who made sure the toilets were clean, moved chairs, tables and cleaned-up, and to those who kept us busy and entertained throughout the day, thank you. Without the many hands we could not have done it.
