Design
6.1 AORAKI/MT COOK NATIONAL PARK (& CONTEXT) 6.1.1 THE JOURNEY TO HAUPAPA
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Marked beginning The journey starts at the turn-off from Highway 80 onto Mount Cook Road, because this approximately lines up with the farthest historical extent of Haupapa (now Lake Pukaki), and therefore the beginning of the glacier narrative. At the turn-off, one leaves the everyday and enters into the otherworldly glacial landscape.
T he journey to Haupapa/Tasman Glacier incorporates the whole Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park and the road up to it. A curated progression up Mount Cook Road and through the glacial valley of the Park gives the visitor the opportunity to shift states, slow down, and gain awareness prior to being confronted with the glacier itself. The journey is meant to facilitate a sense of ‘purpose, focus, and purity of mind’, and gain concentration towards the story of the glacier and glacial landscape. If the visitor can begin the walking route, Haupapa Tribute Trail, with concentrated presence, perhaps they can experience the trail completely and arrive in melancholic contemplation.
The spatial shift is marked in two ways. A gateway in the form of a pouwhenua (land post) is the primary marker into the “otherworld”. A pouwhenua is a carved wooden post used by the Māori to symbolize support and mark a boundary of responsibility (Māori dictionary, n.d.). In addition to marking an otherworldly space, it embodies the aesthetic properties of awareness and familiarity. By connecting to the Māori culture and the creation story of Aoraki and Haupapa, the pouwhenua positions the glacier retreat narrative within the identifiable narratives of Aotearoa/ New Zealand. It connects the area to its history and signifies the responsibility of those that enter to be stewards of the landscape. The idea emerged from a discussion with an expert about Māori culture (Lloyd carpenter, personal communication, September 26, 2019). The design has to be made by a member of the Ngāi Tahu iwi, so the pouwhenua in Figure 6-3 is a place-holder.
*Note: the design guidelines are referenced below each section to clarify where they were incorporated into the design.
The second marker is just beyond the pouwhenua, where the “modal shift” begins. Shortly after the turn-off, there should be a space for individual vehicle owners to leave their cars and take a shuttle into the park. By leaving the normal mode of transport behind, the space is also designated as other. Applied design guideline(s): I. Figure 6-3. (below) “Marked beginning” at the turn-off onto Mt. Cook Road.
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