TOHU WHENUA

Putting visitors in the picture

They say a picture tells a thousand words. It’s true.

WORDS: Claudia Babirat

It’s a question the Tohu Whenua team hears on an almost daily basis – “do you have a great photograph?” We get it from travel writers, magazine editors, brochure designers and tourism promoters. It’s a question we even ask ourselves before designing an advert or posting on social media. Often, without a striking photo, a story just doesn’t fly. Which is obviously a challenge when a key objective of Tohu Whenua is to entice New Zealanders to visit our nation's most treasured heritage sites. Over the last couple of years we have been growing the Tohu Whenua visual library, working with a number of professional photographers to capture visitors of all ages exploring Tohu Whenua landmarks. We hope that when people see others enjoying their visit, they want to go see that site as well.

Our most recent Tohu Whenua shoot was in Otago, where we shot at six sites in total. To make our budget go further we teamed up with programme partners Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, and on two occasions with Destination Queenstown. We found two very talented local photographers. Claire Toia-Bailey of Image Central went above and beyond to shoot four sites in Central Otago, often enlisting the help of her drone operator partner Adrian. Josh Jenkins of Reframed Media captured two sites just south of Ōamaru, including Totara Estate, which is cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Here are some of our favourite images from those shoots – and why we like them.

BANNOCKBURN SLUICINGS (opposite page)

Credit: Image Central This photo does two things: it shows off the incredible manmade badlands known as Bannockburn Sluicings, and reinforces that heritage isn’t always confined to museums. Whether you’re on foot or by bike, connecting with heritage can be an active adventure in a beautiful landscape.

TOTARA ESTATE

Credit: Reframed Media We love this moment of two sisters exploring Totara Estate. Images like this illustrate that heritage sites are family destinations, bringing the stories of yesteryear to a whole new generation of New Zealanders.

KAWARAU SUSPENSION BRIDGE

Credit: Image Central. Sometimes the only way to do justice to a dramatic landscape is to use a drone. In this photo we wanted to give the viewer a sense of the bridge’s height above the deep canyon below. The two figures walking across add a great sense of scale – but also a reminder that the bridge is still as relevant today as it was back in 1880. HAYES ENGINEERING WORKS AND HOMESTEAD

Credit: Image Central This image captures what’s at the heart of all Tohu Whenua places: story-telling. In this photo, Ōturehua story-teller Ken Gillespie provides a guided tour to inquisitive whānau at Hayes Engineering Works.

HISTORIC ARROWTOWN

Credit: Image Central You can tell that this couple is genuinely having fun discovering a ‘new’ place. Although they live locally, they had never been inside the old Arrowtown gaol before – it's a hidden gem that was recently restored. We hope this image makes other people want to have just as much fun there.

Tohu Whenua are recognised as being Aotearoa New Zealand’s best heritage experiences. Tohu Whenua is a partnership between Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatū Taonga. For more information visit tohuwhenua.nz or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @TohuWhenua

"We hope that when people see others enjoying their visit, they want to go see that site as well."