October 20, 2023
Ngāti Apa Heaphy Track history shared
Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō whānau from across Te Tau Ihu have celebrated the reopening of the Heaphy Track Great Walk.
The 82-kilometre track from Nelson through to Karamea was closed in February last year because of severe damage from Cyclone Dovi .
Ngāti Apa chair Hinemoa Connor says the iwi has an unbroken association with what it calls Kehu’s Track since it was discovered by its Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri tīpuna hundreds of years ago.
Traditionally Ngāti Apa maintained coastal occupation areas around important mahinga kai areas in the region from Mohua Golden Bay through to Kawitiri Buller, while pahi or seasonal and temporary huts were also set up in inland areas for hunting, gardening and food gathering.
Kehu was the Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and Ngāti Apa tohunga who guided the explorers Brunner, Heaphy, and Fox through the area during the 1840s.
Ms Conner says the track is a testament to the deep connection between the land and its people, where history, culture, and nature converge.