November 29, 2023
Tangata whenua rename Hollyford lodges
Ngāi Tahu has renamed two of the two luxury lodges on the Hollyford Track in Fiordland National Park as part of a larger kaupapa connect its tourism businesses to cultural heritage.
Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio chair Paul Madgwick says the Ngāi Tahu name for Martins Bay and neaby nearby Lake McKerrow is Whakatipu Waitai, so the lodge there is now Watai.
Pyke Lodge has been renamed Ka Tuku, as Whakatipu Ka Tuku is one of two Ngāi Tahu names for Hollyford River.
Hollyford Track general manager Adam Dooney says the new names are an important milestone in the transformation of the lodges following a $3 million investment by Ngāi Tahu Tourism over the past three years.
He says the company is looking at other ways to better represent NgāiTahu and mana whenua Maakawhio culturally within the lodge buildings through aspects such as artwork and signage.
Ngāi Tahu Tourism has owned and operated the Hollyford Wilderness Experience for 20 years.
The four-day guided walk won the coveted Visitor Experience Award at the 2022 New Zealand Tourism Awards.