Manea; Footprints of Kupe

Coincidentally we are staying in a motel which is next to where we had a guided tour through the story of the great navigator, Kupe. He was the first person to arrive on the shores of Aotearoa/New Zealand. My interpretation of what we were told is that the population of Maori had outgrown the food supply, and conflicts were frequent. Kupe noticed the flight patterns of albatross, and of kuaka (godwits). He also noted tidal patterns, and followed those guides to make land in the Hokianga (we are staying close to the southern shore of the Hokianga Harbour).

He returned whence he came, and started the great migration of Maori. The story of this great voyage of discovery and migration was told us with the aid of many wood carvings. We passed through the gate to see those carvings. The carvings on the cross bar of the gate depict the separation of Tane and Nuku, the beginning of the journey..

The beautiful carvings were the result of local Kaumatua (elders) identifying the images to illustrate the story. It took four or five carvers almost three years to achieve the impressive depiction of atua (leaders). The final part was a multimedia presentation of the conflicts and the overcoming of the elements to move the people to Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

From there we travelled south for about 20 minutes to the Waipoua Forest, to pay our respects to Tane Mahuta, one of the largest trees in the world. My two extras for today show in two photos the trunk and th start of the canopy. The canopy actually extends a further 20 m above where the branches begin.

It is a long time since we last visited Tane Mahuta, which is estimated to be at least 2,000 years old. The path we once walked along has been replaced by a boardwalk, keeping everyone above ground level to protect the roots of the Kauri, and to reduce the risk of infection of this great tree. Back then we turned a corner and were confronted by the tree. The end of the boardwalk was a gathering place, and Tane Mahuta was off to one side almostunexpectedly.