CANTERBURY

Nigel with a group of rangatahi at Kura Tāwhiti.

Track upgrade at Kura Tāwhiti/Castle Hill

For Nigel Harris, our Pouarahi Southern/Te Tai Tonga, the collaborative effort to upgrade aspects of Kura Tāwhiti (Castle Hill) is a welcome development after years of connection to the site.

WORDS: Rosemary Baird

Kura Tāwhiti has a rich history. It was claimed by Ngāi Tahu ancestor, Tane Tiki, for his daughter Hine Mihi, as the region held kākāpo feathers for her cloak. For mana whenua, the region was a mahinga kai, a campsite as part of their network of trails, and a significant rock art site. In the late 1800s, European farm workers also used the sheltering rocks as a campsite. Fans of the Narnia and Lord of the Rings movies may also recognise the surrounding valleys as filming locations. Nigel's ties to the site go back through his whakapapa, and he recalls visiting as a youngster with Rick Tau and other Ngāi Tahu kaumātua. “It is a really significant area, and it links to many other areas in the region.” In 2018-2019, Nigel was the compliance, amenities and interpretation ranger for the wider Arthur's Pass area, guiding tours at Kura Tāwhiti and other significant ridgeline walks in and around the Craigieburn valleys. Nigel led guided walks for many diverse tourist and community groups. “I'd share information about the geology, biodiversity and heritage, as well as the mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuriri history. It was awesome being able to talk to my ancestry, having that connection, and linking to other DoC experts from biodiversity and heritage.” The new developments at the site aim to protect it from the growing numbers of visitors. “It was getting a crazy amount of visitors annually, heading into the many tens of thousands,” says Nigel. “Part of my compliance role was removing dogs, drones and rubbish and monitoring graffiti. Some people are just disrespectful and don't follow the simple, well-signposted rules.” Another problem was ‘desire lining’ where people leave the path and make their own messy tracks. The new track upgrade and landscaping is a subtle way to contain the foot traffic and slow the pressure on the wider site. The new interpretation will share the cultural narrative of mana whenua, geology, heritage stories and the biodiversity of the site. Ngāi Tahu artists have designed the entranceway and pou which will be unique. Recreational rock-climbing sites and routes are also under more sustainable redesign.

The project has been three years in the making. “It's a great collaborative effort with DoC, Pouhere Taonga and mana whenua,” says Nigel. “An important step in further protecting this significant area which will have an official opening in early 2022.” n

NGĀ KUPU

Kaumātua respected tribal elder Mahinga kai food gathering area and management systems Mana whenua customary authority exercised by an iwi or hapū over their ancestral land