August 11, 2014
Ngati Te Whiti share landscape tales
Visitors to New Plymouth will be able to learn more about the city’s Maori heritage by taking a walk along a river.
Ngati Te Whiti has unveiled four storyboards along the Huatoki Walkway as part of its Te Ara Puawai or Pathway to Enlightenment project.
Hapu chair Shaun Keenan says the walk starts at Puke Ariki Museum, where the Huatoki River meets the sea.
It goes up the awa to Marsland Hill, which was the site of Puukaakaa Pa until the land wars, when it was lowered and turned into a garrison for British troops.
"Puukaakaa was not a fighting pa. It it was essentially the centre of our commerce. Back in those days when the waka would come in would sail up the Huatoki and moor below Puukaakaa Pa to offload their goods, it would have been an amazing thing to see and it's those sorts of stories that we are sharing with the people," Mr Keenan says.
He says the process of developing the storyboards has been a great opportunity for Ngati Te Whiti to discuss the stories it wants told.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SHAUN KEENAN CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjA5NTM=
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