June 12, 2019
Technology will bring pā to life
Historic pā sites in central Hawke's Bay are set to be brought back to life with help from a $100,000 grant from the Provincial Growth Fund.
Te Taiwhenua o Tamatea is teaming up with Central Hawke's Bay District Council on the Ngā Ara Tīpuna visitor experience project.
Installations, signage and digital storytelling will be used to highlight the network of pā that encircled the rich food resource that was Lake Whatumā.
The first phase of the project will be to develop the site of Pukekaihau Pā in central Waipukurau so visitors learn about the area's early history through sculptures and digital storytelling.
Taiwhenua project lead Brian Morris says while the pa sites may seem like isolated spots today, they were actually a network strategically placed in harmony with wetlands and the waterways to protect an important resource.
He says visitors will get an idea of what the landscape once was – dominated and shaped by water and forest.
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