Te Rere o Kapuni

Mai i te Maunga a Rongo ki te ngutu awa kei Ōrangituapeka e rere ana ngā wai tapu o Kapuni.

The spiritual waters of Kapuni flow from our peaceful maunga to the sea at Ōrangituapeka.

Te Rere o Kapuni has long been a source of physical and spiritual wellness. Many undertake the journey to experience the peaceful life enhancing waters that flow from deep within our sacred mountain of Taranaki.

These journeys continue today with the natural landscape attracting over 80,000 visitors to the walks and tracks. These numbers are expected to continue and grow well into the future.

Ngāruahine now hold the key to the door of change, with the commencement of the physical development of Te Rere o Kapuni (formerly known as Dawson Falls Lodge).

Te Korowai acquired Dawson Falls Lodge in 2016, due to the high cultural, spiritual, and historical significance of the location on Taranaki Maunga. As previously reported, Te Kīwai a Mauī Ltd has been able to secure Government funding of $3m towards the project with the residual being redirected from iwi investments.

Te Rere o Kapuni development is driven by three of the Ngāruahine strategic pou:

Ngāruahinetanga, Te Kawa Whanakeora (mahi), and Tupua te Mauri (Taiao).

The development of the site ensures Ngāruahine can embed a cultural and spiritual presence through identity, the asserting of mana and reaffirming connection, inspiration, and elevation for Ngāruahinetanga; including the opportunity to deliver a sustainable eco-tourism commercial venture that provides employment training and career opportunities for Ngāruahine uri.

There is significant demand for cultural and eco-tourism businesses, both locally and domestically. The appeal of the redevelopment is positive and exciting. Te Rere o Kapuni will continue to access its own hydro electric energy and will be a leader for sustainability in Aotearoa.

Te Rere o Kapuni will continue to complement the current Taranaki regional initiatives specifically regarding the Taranaki Crossing Experience Project.

Above (left to right): Trustees Allen Webb, John Kahupukoro, Caroline Scott, Grant Weston, Te Aorangi Dillon, Te Aroha Hohaia and John Hooker, onsite for the karakia prior to the start of demolition works.

The redevelopment started in October 2021 with the decommissioning of the operations and building. Prior to the physical demolition of the old lodge, a karakia was conducted to lay to rest the mauri of the past and instil calm for the journey ahead.

Te Rere o Kapuni is an architectural reaffirmation of the Ngāruahine connection to Taranaki Maunga and will offer manuhiri an opportunity to share in Ngāruahine tikanga and kōrero of rangimārie, peace and wellness.

Te Rere o Kapuni will embody what it is to be Ngāruahine. Ngāruahine will demonstrate the pride we have as kaitiaki of our whenua, our uri and all manuhiri.

Above: Artistic impression of the new Te Rere o Kapuni Lodge.

Te ringa ārahi o Te Rere o Kapuni

Manaaki tangata is in the DNA of Establishment General Manager Ngawai Hernandez-Walden.

A value that she lives by and has encompassed throughout her life and career. A career professional in the Hotel & Tourism sector; Ngawai is proud to be one of the leading support hands for the operational and service delivery of Te Rere o Kapuni.

Ngawai was the first uri of Taranaki Maunga to graduate from the Pacific International Hotel Management School located within Puketapu Hapū; and she was the first wahine Māori General Manager of a major hotel brand in Aotearoa.

Above: Establishment General Manager Ngawai Hernandez-Walden.

She has been unapologetically Māori in her career spanning 20 years across Aotearoa, Australia, and the Cook Islands. Ngawai acknowledges that uri of Ngāruahine are naturals in the world of Hospitality / Manaakitanga.

She highlights, “We do not need a procedure manual or a ‘how to guide’, when it comes to manaaki tangata; for all of us raised here under our tupuna maunga, we live and breathe manaakitanga every day. I am exceptionally proud to be a kaitiaki on this project; and to be an enabler of opportunities for more of our uri to utilise their natural born skills for the benefit of ourselves”.

Ngā wai tapu o Kapuni has played a significant role in Ngawai’s life. Ngawai’s mother Punahau Rīpeka (Aunty Rī) was a staunch advocate in the wellbeing and healing powers of the water and only went up the maunga for a specific need. Her father on the other hand always found solace in the religious and spiritual wellbeing that the falls and surrounding waterways provided.

Ngawai, her husband Ricardo and their tamariki returned home to Te Hāwera in November 2021 with a vision and passion to utilise their skills as enablers for their wider whānau, iwi, Hapū and marae. The journey with Te Rere o Kapuni is one way for Ngawai to support our people, to see our people thrive and not just survive.