During the lead up to the unveiling of this plaque at John Wickliffe Plaza, the Ōtākou office worked extensively with Pouhere taonga/Heritage NZ to bring this commemoration to fruition. Unveiled on 22 March in recognition of the site’s importance and place in New Zealand’s national identity, the Toitū Tauraka Waka was one of several Kāti Māmoe-Kāi Tahu landing places in the Otago Harbour at the time of colonial settlement in the Otago region. Situated beside the Toitū Creek, the tauraka waka site provided a softly sloped beach for landing waka, a good point of entry to the surrounding bush and mahika kai, as well as access to fresh water.
During the earliest years of colonial settlement of Dunedin, the tauraka waka area became a vibrant trade and market place for a brief period of time. The colonial enterprise to establish the city eventually resulted in the Toitū being channeled while the tauraka waka was rapidly submerged under the building and foreshore reclamation of the city.
The Toitū Tauraka Waka Wāhi Tūpuna site commemorates the traditional lifestyle of the Kāi Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka hapū; their early interactions with European colonists, and the short-lived trading activity that took place at the landing site. The designation of Wāhi Tūpuna at the tauraka waka is only the second of such in New Zealand and the first Wāhi Tūpuna in Te Waipounamu.
Whānau, representatives of Pouhere taonga/Heritage NZ and friends gather to take part in the blessing and unveiling of the Toitū Tauraka Waka Wāhi Tūpuna commemorative plaque at the John Wickliffe Plaza.