We hope that you all had an enjoyable Christmas break and were able to spend time with whānau and friends over this period. Hopefully you are now feeling energised and ready to meet this year’s challenges.The first quarter of the year is shaping up to be busy on all fronts. A hardy group of volunteers and staff are presently labouring away completing maintenance and cleaning tasks at the venue.
The next scheduled trip for a volunteer group to head out to Rarotoka will be at Easter. We are also hosting a school group from the United States at the end of February. This is a bi-annual trip for them. The students are preparing a lesson on the native American influences in their area. They have offered to present this to whānau if there is enough interest.
As you can see we have a diverse range of activities happening and we are heavily reliant on the generosity of our volunteers to help us meet these obligations and commitments. So, if you wishto play a more active role within your rūnaka please contact us at the office.
Kalani and Grayson Elder
Kalani and Grayson Elder travelled to Christchurch for the South Island Rugby Tournament last year. Kalani’s under 16 team was runner-up and Grayson’s team won their grade. Grayson was also named in the South Island team.
Kalani and Grayson Elder.
Marae Christmas party
On Sunday 11 December Takutai o Te Tītī hosted the Ōraka Aparima Christmas party. Despite the less-than-perfect conditions, spirits were high and everyone had a great time. The wharekai team worked with military precision and produced some excellent kai. The kapa haka rōpū gave a wonderful performance and Hana Kōkō made an appearance.
This was an awesome day filled with fun, friendship and laughter. It was fantastic to see tamariki buzzing around excitedly and to have so many people at the marae. A big thank you to all the volunteers who made this day possible, your help was much appreciated.
The kapa haka group performing at the Christmas Party.
Whānau await the arrival of Hana Kōkō.
Volunteer mahi
A small group of volunteers and staff recently travelled up to Te Kōawa Tūroa o Tākitimu to complete some much needed mahi in and around the complex.
The room adjacent to the main lounge was given a complete makeover and is now looking great. Outside we water-blasted the walkway and around the soffits, cleaned the gutters, trimmed the flaxes on the walkway and weed whacked some areas around the complex. We managed to get most of the scheduled work completed. A huge thank you to all of you who gave your time for this mahi.
Urupā Site (Aparima)
Work has commenced on the removal of old retaining wall irons along the rugby ground side of the Aparima river foreshore. The cultural monitoring was necessary due to the significance of the site as an early Kaik and Urupā.
Muriel Johnstone observes contractor Barry Anderson.
Dusky Sound exhibition
The Tamatea, Art & Conservation in Dusky Sound exhibition was held in the Southland Museum on Friday 16 December. The Carving of Tū Te Rakiwhānoa was loaned by Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka for the exhibition.
This beautiful piece usually rests in the wharenui at Takutai o Te Tītī Marae. The opening was well attended by Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka whānau.
Aunty Jane Davis and Shona Fordyce standing beneath the carving of Tū Te Rākiwhanoa.
Ōraka Seal
Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka staff recently got a phone call to say a pup seal had been playing on the road at Colac Bay, and that it looked thin and distressed.
Staff attended and assessed the situation. The poor wee thing was down by where the road has been washed out among the rocks being used as bank protection. It couldn’t find a hole big enough to get back through and out to the water. Locals once again came to the aid and helped catch it and put it safely back in the water where it was last seen body surfing in the waves. Please note small sea mammals can often be found this time of year out on dry land. First point of call is the Department of Conservation: 03 2112482
Seal at Colac Bay.
Sunday Fun Day
On Sunday 22 January the Colac Bay community held a Sunday Fun Day. This was an amazing day and congratulations to the organisers. The day was designed for the whole family with activities and stalls.
Activities were centered at Takutai o Te Tītī Marae. Tamariki were given fire service uniforms to try on, then they were able to go through a tunnel and try and find their way out – all in the dark. This proved to be a fun game and some tamariki completed this course more than once. Once they completed the course there were balloons, lollies and stickers for them.
Riki Bull of Colac Bay wearing the Firefighter uniform.