Heritage Quarterly Raumati Summer 2023

WAIUTA

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Splitting logs using steel wedges and a maul.

Branching out: passing on heritage bushcraft skills WORDS: Rosemary Baird

IMAGES: Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Conservation Advisor, Mike Gillies, has been teaching heritage bushcraft skills used to build some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s earliest colonial buildings.

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ransforming a tree into useable planks, logs, and poles with hand tools is a vital skill used by countless different cultures throughout history. In Aotearoa New Zealand, before the advent of sawmills, Europeans used pitsaws, adzes, and axes to build some of the very first dwellings, huts, and

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structures. But these heritage skills are little known and in danger of dying out.

Christchurch-based Conservation Advisor, Mike Gillies, first encountered bushcraft in his work at Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation (DOC). John Taylor, a DOC Ranger in Golden Bay, who

had worked on a huge number of historic buildings became Mike’s mentor in bush carpentry.

“I just found the whole process really fascinating,” says Mike. “There’s something romantic about the peace and quiet that comes with using hand Heritage Quarterly

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“There’s something romantic about the peace and quiet that comes with using hand tools...” tools, as opposed to a noisy modern building site. To me, there’s no better sound of just listening to someone hew wood.” Over the years Mike has refined his knowledge as well as collecting and restoring a significant collection of antique hand tools.

Together Mike, Tom Barker, Brooke Cox, and John Taylor have run two workshops for DOC rangers on the West Coast, teaching skills via practical conservation work on Jos Divis’ cottage at historic Waiuta.

Firstly, the participants learnt chainsaw milling, which replicates the finish of pit sawing, but is less labour intensive. It is a useful technique for rangers working in isolated locations as the chainsaw mill is very portable.

Splitting or cleaving was up next. The rangers practiced using steel wedges and a wooden maul (sledgehammer) to split a log lengthwise along the grain into long wedges (like a pizza). These timber planks are dressed (trimmed and smoothed) with adzes. The workshops also taught rangers how to take poles of

DOC Rangers inspect the original adzed floor planks in Jos Divis’ cottage.

wood, cut onsite, and shape these with hatchets into square framing posts.

Another key skill was making roofing shingles. “Before corrugated iron the main roofing material in colonial buildings was wood,” explains Mike. “We showed rangers how to use a froe (a blade with a handle coming off it) and wooden maul. You bang the froe with a maul onto a straight grained totara or red beech log and split thin layers off to make shingles.”

DOC Senior Heritage Advisor, Tom Barker, helped organise the workshops and has seen the value of them for the staff involved. “Many historic DOC huts, from the 1800s through to the 1950s were built

using these traditional bush skills,” says Tom. “Our rangers now have the skills to recognise these techniques and replicate them in conservation work.”

Mike looks forward to continuing to share his knowledge with building professionals and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga members. “These skills are an important part of how European buildings in New Zealand were first made. Unless these techniques are taught and passed down, they will disappear. There are YouTube videos out there, but there’s nothing like learning in real life.

“And even if you don’t master the skills, understanding the technologies helps people know how to conserve buildings using these methods.” n

Dressing planks with hand tools.

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WAIUTA Branching out: passing on heritage bushcraft skills

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EDITORIAL Celebrating Heritage

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TASMAN The Langford Store: a living museum and community legacy

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KĀPITI A special legacy left on the Kāpiti Coast

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FEATURE INTERVIEW Auckland Property Lead Elton Fraser

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ŌTAUTAHI | CHRISTCHURCH Christchurch Radicals: exploring sites connected to the city’s rebels

NORTHLAND Grave eras: The changing face of New Zealand cemeteries INTERNATIONAL ICOMOS General Assembly 2023 TOHU WHENUA Visitors give Tohu Whenua top marks NORTHLAND Pacific nuclear testing protest turns 50 WAIKATO New to the List: Drovers’ Trough and Accommodation Field

heritagenewzealand heritage_nz @heritagenz Editor: Adrienne Hannan Designer: Michael Steele Published by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Heritage Quarterly keeps you up-to-date with heritage news from around New Zealand.

Copyright © Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

All images credit Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga unless otherwise stated.

For more information or to subscribe, write to PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140 or contact the editor, phone: 04 470 8066 or email: ahannan@heritage.org.nz.

ISSN 2324-4267 (Print) ISSN 2324-4275 (Online).

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EDITORIAL

Celebrating Heritage WORDS: Andrew Coleman IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

It is right to celebrate heritage; one festival at a time; one property at a time; one outreach opportunity at a time. This edition of Heritage Quarterly pleasingly has many reasons for heritage to be celebrated. standards and best practice was something that the New Zealand participants have already bought back to their work.

As we anticipate a warm and pleasant summer ahead – because we know that we all deserve better weather – it is time for our heritage places to open their doors to our own history seekers. Our teams around the country have been busy gearing up for the season – dusting, baking, preparing, and training. We are ready, so come and enjoy what’s on offer.

Of note is Auckland’s Alberton, marking its 160th birthday and celebrating its 50th year since it opened to the public, and well worth the visit.

Alberton, built in 1863 and celebrating 50 years of being open to the public.

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pring and summer seem to be great times for heritage gatherings and discussions. Recently there have been the Auckland, Thames, Taranaki, Whanganui, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Southland heritage festivals and events.

The staff of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga had the opportunity to participant in all these festivals and we appreciate the passion of the organisers and attendees. We are significantly involved through assisting with the management and coordination of events, making our offices and the heritage places we care for available for hosted events, and supporting the festivals with promotions to our wonderful members and newsletter subscribers.

With so many festivals and events it is easy to highlight that they are pinnacle to the yearly calendar and there is much to celebrate. But it doesn’t stop there.

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International heritage gatherings are making a return. Recently heritage advocates from across Aotearoa New Zealand, including staff from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, had the opportunity to attend and participate at the International Convention on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) General Assembly held in Sydney, which you will read about in this edition.

This was a truly global event with the Assembly delivered at an impressive level.

The similarities in challenges for heritage were evident. Indigenous heritage and stories were thoroughly acknowledged throughout the Assembly, particularly in the resolution on the acceptance of a broader rule on the inclusion of indigenous people in ICOMOS membership.

World Heritage listings, reviews, and demolition, and a focus on rights, resilience, responsibilities, and relationships of heritage, were also topics of discussion. The link to international

You will read of a couple of fantastic heritage outreach opportunities where our people are leading and providing others the chance to explore and celebrate our history and heritage. I was intrigued to read of the work of Mike Gillies, who recently ran a woodworking course teaching the skills used to build early colonial buildings. I was equally fascinated with the bike tour developed by our Christchurch team to take two-wheeled heritage enthusiasts to places associated with historic radical characters.

These two examples sum up the dedication and commitment of our staff.

We are here to help you celebrate, so get out and about and make the most of what Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has to offer. n

Andrew Coleman Chief Executive Heritage Quarterly

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TASMAN Will and Sukhita at the Langford Store: Image: Stuff

The Langford Store: a living museum and community legacy WORDS: David Watt

Travellers and holidaymakers in Golden Bay will delight in the wonderful historic legacy left by the Langford family.

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TASMAN The Langford store at Bainham. Image: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

Due to health issues, Edward Bates Langford gave up farming and built what has become known as The Langford Store in 1928. When initially constructed there was no electricity, (the area wasn’t reticulated until 1949) and to phone anyone you had to use a party line.

The Langford Store gives the impression of still operating in a 1920s time period.

It is said that, “time has worn the outside of The Langford Store, but the inside has stood still.”

In 1947, Lorna Langford, started working for her grandfather handling mail, accounts and other duties. She became a dedicated postmistress, storekeeper and a friend to all.

Ration books were still in use for trading and purchases in Lorna’s early days working at the store. Items such as meat, tea, sugar, butter, and silk stockings were in short supply and had to be noted down in the purchaser’s ration book.

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hree generations of the Langford family have served locals and travellers alike since the store opened 95 years ago in the picturesque Bainham valley.

With the popular Heaphy Track at the valley head, the Category 2 heritagelisted store has been an attraction for people from all over the world. There has been nothing that this proud family hasn’t been able to provide for its regular customers, for holidaymakers, for visitors to the area, or for those about to walk the Heaphy Track.

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She took over running the store in 1952, and the postal service two years later.

Lorna managed to maintain the store’s Post Office services after NZ Post reduced deliveries in the late 1980s.

Those travelling through the area in hot summer seasons since would stop for a welcome icecream, and if they were short of a few camping or travelling supplies, Lorna had them all. The store was remarkable for its stock, which was everywhere and piled high in some places, but Lorna knew where everything was. Fortunately, the ice creams were always easy to spot; in prime position right in front of hot travellers as they entered the store.

Lorna continued behind the counter for 61 years until her retirement in 2008, when she decided to hand over the reins.

Responsibility for the store passed to her grandfather’s great granddaughter, Sukhita Langford, who moved with her husband, Will, from Wellington to take over the business.

Sadly, Sukhita has been unwell of late, but she has put her mark on the store to meet the changing needs of a contemporary world.

The Langford Store no longer stocks items such as kerosene lamp wicks, wooden clothes pegs, or dubbin for boots, although many of these items are still on display for people to view and they contribute to the ambience of the store.

Sukhita has turned the storeroom into an art gallery, and has set up a cafe allowing people to linger in the store while enjoying a coffee and Will’s awardwinning baking.

Heritage enthusiastics will relish seeing the outside of the store maintained in its original condition with the family name preserved. It will always be The Langford Store.

The store has become famous for standing still. Through their legacy the Langfords have put Bainhaim on the map, locally and internationally.

The unforgettable Lorna, who kept her family aspirations going for so long passed away in 2020, aged 91. n

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KĀPITI

A special legacy left on the Kāpiti Coast WORDS: David Watt

Two significant beehive pottery kilns on the Kāpiti Coast, the creation of Mirek Smíšek, have been recognised as a Category 2 historic place.

Company. Seeking new opportunities away from factory production, in 1954 he built his first salt-glaze kiln and began experimenting with the salt glaze firing technique.

At this time Smíšek was part of a cohort of potters working around Aotearoa New Zealand, including Wilf Wright, Helen Mason, Mary Hardwick-Smith, Doreen Blumhardt, Yvonne Rust and Patricia Perrin. Smíšek formed close friendships with the pottery ‘trailblazers’ of the time.

By 1956 Smíšek was established as Aotearoa New Zealand’s first full-time professional potter, producing work recognised as being of a quality in its own class.

Pottery classes, Mr Mirek Smíšek (right) demonstrating. Published 2 May 1966. Image: Tauranga City Libraries Photo gca-11647

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he unique and historically significant kilns found themselves in a perilous position in 2021 with the planned Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway mapped across the site where they stood.

Mirek Smíšek (1925-2013), a Czechoslovakian-born potter, gained fame for his mastery of the technique of salt glazing in his work.

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To escape occupation and the labour camps and factories he had been forced to work in, Smíšek emigrated to Australia in 1948. He began learning about pottery in Australia while working in a brick works and undertook a course in ceramic design in Sydney. He then moved to Aotearoa New Zealand and found work at the Crown Lynn Potteries in Auckland.

He shifted to Nelson in 1952, where he worked at the Nelson Brick and Pipe

Mirek Smíšek and his wife, Beverley, bought the Te Horo, Kāpiti, property for their kilns in 1970. The two brick beehive kilns have a striking appearance.

The domed kilns are 2.25 metres high internally. Each kiln sits on a concrete base, both are of uniform dimensions, and have openings with voussoirs on their southern side. The two kilns look very similar on the exterior, but only the most western one was used for the salt firing methods for which Smíšek was best known. An external brick flue originally connected both to provide ventilation to the kilns.

A red shed, formed of an 1880s cottage, and the former Te Horo Railway Station, were both relocated onto the property

by Smíšek and formed part of his pottery centre. These structures are included in the heritage listing extent.

Miranda Williamson, who researched and authored the heritage listing report, said the Smíšek kilns represent the centrality of studio pottery Aotearoa New Zealand’s craft scene in the 1970s and provide an

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KĀPITI The relocated Beehive Kilns at Te Horo. Image: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

insight into studio pottery practice at the time.

“Pottery dominated craftwork in New Zealand in the 1970s and Smíšek found a ready market for his elegant salt glazed teapots, casseroles, bowls and cider jars,” says Miranda.

His prolific output and service to pottery in New Zealand was recognised with the bestowing of an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1990.

Tony Hartevelt, Chair of The Mirek Smíšek Arts Trust, says the heritage status for the kilns and the site of Smíšek’s pottery at Te Horo is significant for both ceramic arts and heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Smíšek gained international recognition and worked for nearly 30 years from Te Horo. The Trust has been established to celebrate his achievements and advance ceramic arts in the community.”

Sir Peter Jackson sought out Mirek Smíšek for the pottery he required for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy released between 2001 - 2003. He commissioned Smíšek to create about 700 items including an assortment of goblets, RAUMATI • SUMMER 2023 / 2024

bowls, wine bottles and jugs. Smíšek embraced this assignment, which he found to be both exciting and challenging.

Mirek Smíšek passed away in 2013. The Te Horo site continues to support potters, who have come to live and work at the property since.

When the plans were revealed for the new Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway, it became clear that the two beehive kilns sat directly in the pathway. Waka Kotahi (New Zealand Transport Agency) undertook to relocate the kilns 20 metres east of their original location, but still on the same land. Potter Duncan Shearer and master brick layer, Rick Meade, worked together to dismantle and rebuild the kilns and the flue.

Jamie MacDuff from Waka Kotahi says the new shared path between Peka Peka and Ōtaki runs past the site and interpretative signage will inform passersby about the site’s significance.

While the kilns are no longer able to be used to fire pottery, they are a special memorial to Mirek Smíšek’s artistry and the legacy of pottery in Aotearoa New Zealand. n

Mirek Smíšek at work. Image: Supplied

The Kilns are destined to become a unique visitor destination and the site continues to be cared for and restored by The Mirek Smíšek Arts Trust. Visitors can find out more at: www.thekilnsattehoro.co.nz

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FEATURE INTERVIEW Elton Fraser on the veranda at Alberton.

Auckland Property Lead Elton Fraser WORDS: Niki Partsch

IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Mark Russell

Formerly the Property Lead at Thames School of Mines, Elton has recently taken on the same role for three heritage properties in Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest city and is brimming with refreshed ideas.

Tell us about your background before coming to work at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga?

In my twenties I was a theatre actor, I later moved into education and event management. I’ve always worked in interesting places such as: The National Library of New Zealand, The Museum of Wellington City and Sea (now Wellington Museum), the Airforce Museum, and Wellington Zoo. I also worked, briefly, for the New Zealand High Commission

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in India. I also promoted New Zealand indigenous music at international expos.

The common theme for me is people and their stories.

What does your current role involve?

I am Property Lead for our ‘Auckland’ properties; Highwic, Alberton, Ewelme Cottage, and Ruatuna. Day-to-day operations as well as planning for the future, whether it’s maintenance, restoration, education offerings, or public

programmes are my responsibility.

I work with a team of incredible people and collectively we create magic. Our aim is for visitors to have a special experience and will then want to explore and engage with other Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga properties.

My role is looking after the well-being of our people, properties, and collections, and if I do my job well, all areas can shine brightly.

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I love engaging with our visitors, everyone has a story to share. I’m also humbled by the collective knowledge and experience of our staff and volunteers. Everyone belongs because they have a passion for these special places, and we all want to share these taonga and their stories with others. It’s that generosity of spirit that I find so inspiring. Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is a great place to work; I share the same values, and I believe in identifying, protecting, and promoting this country’s unique historical and cultural heritage.

What is your hope for heritage in the future?

That heritage remains a valued part of our New Zealand identity because once something is lost, it has gone forever, whether it’s buildings and collections, culture, or natural heritage.

All our Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga properties play a vital role in reaching out to new audiences.

I hope that as a nation we can become more confident with engaging in difficult conversations about New Zealand history.

FEATURE INTERVIEW

What are the best parts of your work here?

A focus on local history, on real people’s lived experiences both positive and negative is a great way to re-examine our national story – all the ingredients are out there, they just need to be brought together, and like any successful recipe, you can’t skimp or leave something out.

Do you have a favourite childhood place or memory?

I was a ‘Nanny’s boy’, doted over by my two grandmothers. My favourite thing to do was alternate my time between my two nannies. When I was young and my cousins were out and about playing, I would be hanging out with either Nanny Cameron in Auckland or Nanny Fraser in Thames. I remember lots of storytelling, food and laughter. They both made me feel like I was the only person in the world that mattered. I remember my mother had to intervene when one Nanny decided that I, too, should receive a birthday present even though it was my sister's birthday party. She didn’t want me to feel left out.

What do you spend time on outside of work?

I take every moment I can to explore our extraordinary country, I can’t get enough of what’s in our own back yard.

The sprawling interior of Highwic has many nooks for visitors to explore.

This year I’m determined to start dancing of some sort, it could be ballroom dancing, salsa dancing or the highland fling. All I know is that I’ve got to get moving. So, watch this space.

If you could travel anywhere in the world for a day, where would you go and why?

I wouldn’t go anywhere, I’d stay right here in Tāmakimakaurau, but I would like to go back in time. I’m obsessed with our changing landscapes. I’d love to experience this city 150 years ago. n

The gardens at Ewelme Cottage are popular with summer visitors. Image: Mark Russell

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ŌTAUTAHI | CHRISTCHURCH The 30-acre Wainoni Park was the home of Professor Alexander Bickerton. After the commune experiment ended in 1902/3, he opened the site as a pleasure garden. The public flocked to see the mock naval battles, fireworks, hot air balloon ascents, side shows, zoo and magic shows. Image: Postcard Gold Medal Series No. 123, Christchurch City Libraries, Canterbury Stories, CCL-Kete-16101

Christchurch Radicals: Exploring sites connected to the city’s rebels WORDS: Rosemary Baird

Colonial Christchurch - stuffy and conservative? Far from it! Radical educationalists, sex reformers, and peaceniks all have a proud place in the city’s heritage.

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tautahi Christchurch has long had a reputation as a stronghold of conservatism. But as Katie Pickles argues in her 2016 book Christchurch Ruptures, under the conservative surface there exists an ‘ever smouldering hotbed of radicalism’.

An October 2023 project by the Christchurch office of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, in partnership with the Biketober festival, has developed a cycle route visiting some of the

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places and sites connected to radical Christchurch historical characters.

Some of the names are familiar. Many of us would have heard of Elsie Locke.

A working-class girl on a university scholarship, Locke was impacted in 1932 by seeing 10,000 unemployed marching through Tāmakimakaurau Auckland.

While Elsie is renowned for her popular children’s historical novels, she was also a life-long socialist and pacifist and campaigned for nuclear disarmament. For

most of her adult life, she lived in a small cottage (now demolished) at 392 Oxford Terrace.

Other figures are less well known. The Reverend Joseph John Doke was minister at Oxford Terrace Baptist Church from 1894-1901. This quiet man was an orator, author, and social reformer. When police locked up 32 Chinese men after a raid on a Chinese fan-tan gambling game in 1889, Doke publicly criticised anti-Chinese prejudice from the pulpit. Doke later

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ŌTAUTAHI | CHRISTCHURCH Sutton House, designed by Tom Taylor. Image: Christchurch City Council Newsline

moved to South Africa where he bonded with Ghandi, nursing him in his home after a public assault and writing his first biography in 1909. Doke died in 1913 on a missionary expedition into central Africa (financed by the proceeds of his romance sci-fi novels!).

It's fascinating to discover the connections between various characters.

For instance, Frederick Hornibrook was a physical culture instructor who held exhibitions and classes at the old YMCA building on the corner of Hereford Street and Cambridge Terrace in the early 1900s.

Hornibrook taught a young Ettie Rout and described her as having a figure to rival

the Venus de Milo. His point was that she was natural, healthy and unfashionably uncorseted, but it is perhaps no surprise that the couple married after WWI. Ettie Rout is best known for her advocacy for safe sex during WWI. She treated venereal disease among New Zealand soldiers as a medical, not moral, issue and recommended prophylactic kits, hygienic brothels, and education, despite public criticism. She, in turn, was a great friend of Alexander William Bickerton, a polymathic, controversial Professor of Chemistry at Canterbury College, who founded a cooperative commune in Wainoni.

Frederick Hornibrook, with his ‘Sandow System’ students. Hornibrook is seated man in the centre of middle row in the dark blazer with piping). Image: Frederick Hornibrook, 1906, Canterbury Times, Christchurch City Libraries

Ettie Rout, 1918. Image: Christchurch Star

2023 is the 150th anniversary of University of Canterbury (formerly Canterbury College), so it is fitting to explore some of the influential educationalists who had a profound influence on their students. The newly restored Engineering Buildings at the Arts Centre were home to Robert Julian Scott (1861- 1930). Scott was imperious, popular with students, and behaved more like a dictatorial admiral than a university dean. He dedicated his life to the vision of a great national engineering school.

The new cycling tour visits the Worker’s Education Association (WEA) Building to profile the work of Eveline Cunnington.

She was an early advocate for female education and women prisoners, who instigated the formation of the WEA in New Zealand. The route also goes by the Sutton house (designed by Tom Taylor) in Christchurch’s red zone. Sutton and Taylor both taught for many years at the School of Fine Arts and influenced several generations of painters and sculptors. n With funding assistance from the Christchurch Heritage Festival, Biketober and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga have produced a map of the bike tour to take cyclists to sites associated with these remarkable figures who challenged the status quo and worked to try and improve people’s health, education, and freedoms. www.heritage.org.nz/news/stories/ spoilt-for-choice-with-christchurchheritage-festival

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NORTHLAND Te Waimate Mission Station and neighbouring historic church and graveyard.

Grave eras: The changing face of New Zealand cemeteries Researching and sharing knowledge about a subject as big as the heritage of historic graves and cemeteries is quite the undertaking.

WORDS: John O’Hare

IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

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ased in a part of the country where some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest historic cemeteries are located, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager, Bill Edwards, recently conducted research into the meanings behind some of the symbols found on gravestones at two particularly historic cemeteries.

The scope of his research – initially undertaken as preparation for a public talk – morphed and grew into something more wide ranging, resulting in a display at the annual Bay of Islands A&P Show – the oldest such show in the country and an annual Waimate North fixture.

“The St James Anglican Churchyard Cemetery is Kerikeri’s first and New Zealand’s oldest operating cemetery with several graves predating the Treaty of

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Waitangi. The Waimate North cemetery next to Te Waimate Mission is also of a similar vintage,” he says.

“Both cemeteries have links to the Church Missionary Society missions that were located close by and are therefore some of the oldest European-style cemeteries in the country.”

Besides being havens of tranquillity and repose, cemeteries are similar to museums with their headstones serving as a record of our culture and social history. According to Bill, the two Northland cemeteries are perfect examples.

“The inscriptions on memorials, together with the design of monuments, use of cyphers and the choice of stones, combine to make these cemeteries an irreplaceable historical resource and an

important record of the social history of the area and community,” he says.

“Headstones tell us a lot about the people they commemorate and their lives.

Besides valuable information like age, date of death and so on, symbols found on the stones can provide additional insights into the people and their stories.

“A broken column or a book with an unwritten page for example, are representative of a life cut short, while two entwined roses speak of a close relationship between a husband and wife.”

Other cyphers can range from traditional Celtic crosses through to objects like anchors, which are representative of steadfastness, and often an indicator that the deceased had a connection with the sea.

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Keeping the plot Although local councils have responsibility for the general upkeep of public cemeteries, generally descendants of the deceased are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of their family members’ graves. People should not carry out any maintenance on the graves of nonfamily members.

As heritage landscapes in their own right, cemeteries also reflect changes in society.

“In Victorian times the design and scale of headstones – and even the location of a person’s grave – is likely to have reflected their social and economic status in life,” he says.

Dr Helen Leggatt has a specialist interest in the heritage of cemeteries, and has come up with some guidance.

“Walk through cemeteries from that era and it’s almost as if the headstones are vying with each other for your attention.”

Some do’s and don’ts: Do trim long grasses or remove fallen leaves and debris obscuring a gravestone.

Another dynamic very evident in cemeteries from this time is the clear delineation between religious denominations.

“There are distinct clearly marked sections for Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Jews and other faith communities,” he says.

What you won’t find in 19th century cemeteries are places for the ashes of the deceased. New Zealand’s first cremation took place in 1909 when a man named John Jack was cremated at the Karori Crematorium, which had just been opened in November that year. Today the crematorium is a listed Category 1 historic place.

Headstones from two of Northland’s cemeteries that predate the signing of the Treaty (and above).

Do not interfere with plants purposefully placed or planted on the gravesite.

According to Bill, “Cremation was a new way of disposing of the dead, though John Jack’s reason for opting for cremation was actually very traditional. He specified in his will that he wanted his ashes interred in the family vault in Dundee in Scotland and cremation was a practical way of enabling his wishes to be met.”

Do not take grave rubbings – this can damage brittle stone (particularly limestone and sandstone).

Do use a soft clean cloth or soft bristle brush such as a paintbrush with water to removed muck. Use a light touch and be patient.

Today between 70 and 80 percent of deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand are cremated, and over the years cemeteries have changed to reflect this.

Do not use a wire brush on any part of a gravestone. It will damage the surface and the scratch marks it causes can encourage growth of moss and lichen.

“With increasing numbers of people opting for cremation, the design and layout of cemeteries has changed.

There is a much greater emphasis on consistency in terms of size and design of plaques and memorials for example and, in some ways, cremation has enabled that to happen,” says Bill.

Do not use any solution other than plain water to clean a gravestone.

Different types of stone react differently to cleaning or moss/lichen removing solutions and damaged stone can absorb and discolour if wrongly treated.

“Practical factors like maintenance and upkeep are also incorporated into cemetery designs with much of the maintenance today being carried out with lawnmowers and other machinery as opposed to hand tools from last century and before.

“Today cemeteries often have a ‘municipal’ feel to them – a far cry from 19th century burial grounds which were not nearly as structured and closely managed. They are still cultural and historical landscapes, however, and future generations will no doubt find them as fascinating and informative as our own.” n RAUMATI • SUMMER 2023 / 2024

NORTHLAND

“One of the things that you see emerging in some of the earliest gravestones are symbols that incorporate native New Zealand plants like ferns, for example,” says Bill.

Do not attempt to restore, repair or thoroughly clean a gravestone to which you have no connection and no permission to clean.

“Walk through cemeteries from that era and it’s almost as if the headstones are vying with each other for your attention.”

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INTERNATIONAL

ICOMOS General Assembly 2023 Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga staff had the opportunity to attend this significant event in Sydney, held on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

WORDS: Niki Partsch

IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

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ounded in 1965, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), is an organisation of heritage professionals engaged in the conservation and protection of places with cultural heritage value. It is a principal advisor to UNESCO in these matters.

ICOMOS has National Committees in over 107 countries including Aotearoa New Zealand. This General Assembly was the first to be held in the southern hemisphere and the first in six years due to Covid-19 interruptions. The last General Assembly and Scientific Symposium was held in Delhi, India in 2017.

All established international specialist committees within ICOMOS were

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represented in Sydney and around 1,500 professionals attended the International Convention Centre, located in Darling Harbour.

During the opening of the Assembly and Symposium, known as GA23, there was an acknowledgement of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land, and respects were paid to the elders both past and present.

Senior Archaeologist Kiri Sharpe describes the smoking ceremony, an important part of the opening and Welcome to Country.

“The ceremony was new for me, there was a beautiful smell from the smoke, and we were each invited to come forward and be part of it.” The burning of indigenous

leaves and the blanketing of self in the smoke connects visitors to the land.

The five-day GA23 theme was ‘Heritage Changes: Resilience – Responsibility – Rights – Relationships’. While reflecting on the climatic threats facing heritage, it also included a positive message about the role of our heritage in supporting rapid recovery and inclusive approaches.

Pouārahi Māori Built Heritage Advisor Jasmine Hemi found the topic of ‘building heritage resilience amongst climate change’, “A very relevant theme to Aotearoa, considering recent cyclone damage and flooding.”

One message came through clearly, according to Jasmine. “In times of

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INTERNATIONAL Christine blankets herself in smoke.

disaster, we tend to function in the form of cause and response, but we need to invest in prevention planning, including funding resilient projects for heritage prior to a disaster. Our at-risk heritage and communities should be at the forefront now as we brace for the anticipated wild weather impacts of El Niño, and long-term climate change.”

Jasmine also found solace in hearing the views of other indigenous communities and overall enjoyed being there. “No matter your role within heritage, you would benefit from the experience,” she says.

With four timeslots, eight different streams and hundreds of papers, Kiri found selection on the first day difficult.

“It was a near-impossible task choosing which to go and watch as they all looked so interesting. I decided to try and see a variety, so I learned about heritage resilience with wildfire and floods, using digital technologies for site interpretation, responsibilities in development and infrastructure, plus looking at where culture and nature meet in the landscape.

Welcome to Country smoking ceremony.

UNESCO World Heritage-listed magnificent Blue Mountain Area.

“Heritage is nature and nature is heritage.

Indigenous peoples have always known this, and we must now all embrace this way of thinking for the health and wellbeing of all future peoples.”

GA23 was supplemented by side trips and site visits, with the main side trip a tour of a well-known World Heritage Site, The Greater Blue Mountains Area. Covering a massive 1,032,649-hectares, it was UNESCO Listed in the year 2000.

Liz Bigwood, Senior Property Lead at Kerikeri Mission Station and Christine Whybrew, Director Southern Region, visited Katoomba, situated on Gundungurra Country. This area was mined for coal from the 1880s until 1945.

The incline railway has operated for scenic tours from 1945.

Christine says, “Our guide was Gundungurra elder – and local legend – David King who took us on a tour of the experience of his mum, aunts and uncles who lived at this place and call the rainforest home. The scenic railway descends 206m into the rainforest gully at an incline of 52 degrees – giving some insight into those hardy souls who braved our own Denniston Incline in coal buckets!”

The Blue Mountains Area has a wide diversity of species and ecosystems, and there are over 3,000 aboriginal sites within its boundaries. There is a long and rich history of Aboriginal occupation, spanning at least 65,000 years. Acknowledgement of First Nations people and the location of this event on unceded Aboriginal land was a constant reference point throughout GA23.

Christine notes, “A resolution was passed to ensure indigenous voices remain heard throughout the work of ICOMOS.” She expressed her gratitude to the Gadigal people for, “Looking after us on your land.”

Liz says, “It was such a privilege to hear learnings from all around the world, I had conversations with people from Kosovo, Malaysia, USA, France, Fiji, Australia, to name a few, and attended presentations from Mexico, Germany, Taiwan, China, Japan, India, Jordan, and Central Africa, amongst many others.”

The next ICOMOS General Assembly will be held in Malaysia in 2026. n

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Heritage Quarterly

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TOHU WHENUA Kororipo Heritage Park, where visitors can experience Kemp House, the Stone Store, and Kororipo Pā. Image: Grant Sheehan

Visitors give Tohu Whenua top marks An integral aspect of running a tourism programme is checking in with visitors to see if we are meeting their expectations. Last summer Tohu Whenua did just that.

WORDS: Caroline Toplis

IMAGES: Grant Sheehan and Mark Russell

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n partnership with Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation (DOC), Tohu Whenua set out to see if we are achieving our goal of offering visitors a useful guide to exceptional heritage experiences.

This is the first visitor survey Tohu Whenua has undertaken since 2017. In 2023, you can find Tohu Whenua in three regions; Otago, Te Tai Poutini West Coast and Te Tai Tokerau Northland. We have

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also welcomed several new sites since the last survey, bringing the total network of Tohu Whenua to 26 places nationwide.

Our team members around the country have been putting in the mahi to build meaningful relationships with local iwi and spread the word to current and future heritage enthusiasts. With plans in motion to expand into new regions soon, 2023 felt like the right moment to take stock.

How did the survey work?

Customer research was undertaken by Research First, a market research and commercial insights agency, between January 2022 and April 2023.

1440 surveys were completed with Research First using a mixed-method approach including: face-to-face interviewing and recruitment for the online survey, and posters and advertising to promote the online survey.

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Opportunities for brand development

• 67% live in Aotearoa New Zealand.

While visitors enjoy and are enriched by Tohu Whenua, the survey revealed there's room to grow the Tohu Whenua brand.

• 61% are over the age of 40 years.

• 56% are female, 42% male, and 2% another gender or prefer not to say.

• 64% NZ European, 8% Māori.

• 60% hadn’t heard of or seen Tohu Whenua.

• 74% visited with whānau.

• 69% of visitors want to learn more about Tohu Whenua.

Key findings

Credible and connected network

Exceptional visitor experience

Despite the high percentage of visitors who hadn’t seen or heard of Tohu Whenua before arriving at one of our sites, it’s evident that visitors value heritage and how it tells our stories.

Based on the following results, it’s clear that visitors feel Tohu Whenua sites are great places to visit and that they offer an opportunity to enhance understanding of our heritage and culture.

• 88% of visitors were extremely or very satisfied with their visit to a Tohu Whenua place.

• 70% of visitors left with a greater understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand.

• More than half of visitors would visit another Tohu Whenua site in the next 12 months.

Participants also made it clear that the aspects of a site they value are: • Authenticity.

• Most visitors feel the site they visited is important for knowing Aotearoa New Zealand’s history.

• 73% of visitors agreed that the story told at the site they visited was connected to other important sites around the country.

In their own words, here are a few comments from visitors when asked about what they most enjoyed or learned at Tohu Whenua sites: “Being able to tell the history to my kids”

• Preservation of heritage features.

“Like travelling back in time and seeing history face-to-face”

• Maintenance and preservation of the site.

“Beautiful scenery and the feel of the place”.

The museum inside the Stone Stone is a popular family experience and suitable for all ages.

Image: Mark Russell

Case Study: Kororipo Heritage Park There is something for everyone at Kororipo Heritage Park, located in the Kerikeri Basin in Te Tai Tokerau Northland. This is where Māori and Europeans lived side by side and some of the most important early meetings between the two cultures took place.

Nowadays, visitors can explore Kororipo Pā; the seasonal home of famed Chief Hongi Hika, shop in the iconic Stone Store, tour Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest colonial building, Kemp House, and get a glimpse of preEuropean life at Te Ahurea.

TOHU WHENUA

Who were the survey participants?

Kororipo Heritage Park surveys revealed: • 94% of visitors reported being either very or extremely satisfied with their visitor experience • 87% of visitors said they would recommend Kororipo Heritage Park to their whānau and friends.

• Most (over 80%) visitors agreed to a high degree with Kororipo Heritage Park being suitable for children, important for understanding Aotearoa New Zealand’s history, and providing quality time with whānau and friends.

These are great results – visitors to the park were very positive about their heritage experience. Now we want them to see Tohu Whenua as their one-stop-shop to discover more mustsee heritage places around the motu.

The results are in: New Zealanders love heritage. 78% of visitors want to learn more about Aotearoa New Zealand’s heritage and 75% would share what they learnt at Tohu Whenua places with tamariki. Our programme offers these enthusiastic Kiwi a free online guide to must-see heritage experiences and while Tohu Whenua isn’t a household name yet, these results reveal some clear goals for our team and an exciting future ahead.

Learn more, or read the full report, at: www.tohuwhenua.nz n

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Heritage Quarterly

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NORTHLAND

Pacific nuclear testing protest turns 50 “If it’s safe, test it in Paris,” as one campaign slogan of the time pointed out.

WORDS: John O’Hare

IMAGES: Archives New Zealand, Far North District Libraries, New Zealand Maritime Museum

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he 50th anniversary of the New Zealand government sending the frigate HMNZS Otago to Mururoa Atoll to protest French nuclear testing in the Pacific was marked in 2023.

For Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager, Bill Edwards, the anniversary brings into focus a range of places in Northland with links to this country’s heritage of anti-nuclear protest.

“Research has revealed a wide range of connections to different places where protest and other activities occurred,” he says.

“They range from boat building and artistic expression through to the act of international terrorism that defined the movement for many, the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.”

Boats are a recurring theme in Aotearoa New Zealand’s anti-nuclear protest story – and one of the earliest was constructed by boatbuilder Alan Orams at One Tree Point near Whangārei. Here Orams built the VEGA, which was built on the beach from native timbers, and was later to become synonymous with protest action against French nuclear testing in the Pacific.

Photograph of the Rainbow Warrior being sunk at Matauri Bay. Image: Far North District Libraries.

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NORTHLAND

“honourable” one in which they were to be “a silent accusing witness with the power to bring alive the conscience of the world.” The HMNZS Canterbury followed soon after as a relief vessel for the Otago.

“Many people regarded France as an ally with our shared history that included two World Wars, and thousands of New Zealanders killed in the defence of French soil,” says Bill, who has also undertaken research into the influence of the French on Aotearoa New Zealand’s early colonial history.

“The protest sorely tested the relationship at a political level and was marked by a pivotal moment when Aotearoa New Zealand won a court case in the International Court of Justice to stop France testing in the Pacific.”

VEGA on the Mahurangi Harbour, Hauraki Gulf.

Image: New Zealand Maritime Museum

“The VEGA is a 38-foot kauri-built ketch constructed in 1949 and is still going strong. A little over 20 years after it was launched, the man who would become the head of Greenpeace, David McTaggart, fell in love with the vessel and bought it to sail the Pacific,” says Bill.

“McTaggart left Auckland on his yacht and sailed to Mururoa Atoll in 1972 to protest against French nuclear testing, only to find himself playing a cat and mouse game with the French Navy in an attempt to stop the scheduled detonation of a nuclear device as part of France’s nuclear test programme.”

During the course of the protest, the VEGA was boarded by French commandos who beat McTaggart causing serious injury though, thanks to the quick thinking of crew members, film taken of the assault was later smuggled out and photos distributed to international media.

Public disquiet at continued French nuclear testing – bolstered no doubt by the VEGA’s experience – focused the New Zealand government into its own protest.

In 1973 Prime Minister Norman Kirk sent the frigate HMNZS Otago to Mururoa, describing the mission to her crew as an RAUMATI • SUMMER 2023 / 2024

In 2007 the Canterbury was scuttled at Deep Water Cove in the Bay of Islands.

Now an artificial reef designed to increase depleted fish stocks, the Canterbury is also a recreational diving wreck. Along with the Otago, the Canterbury played an important role in raising awareness of Aotearoa New Zealand’s position on French nuclear testing in the Pacific internationally, according to Bill.

“These vessels – as well as protest boats like the VEGA and the Fri – were important in shaping New Zealand’s public opinion over the past four decades and have helped us define who we are as a country and what we stand for in the world,” he says.

Important as these boats are, however, it is the Rainbow Warrior – and its ultimate demise at the hands of French government agents while docked in Auckland – that has come to symbolise New Zealand’s heritage of anti-nuclear protest.

“Today, the Rainbow Warrior lies at the bottom of the sea off the Cavalli Islands just north of the Bay of Islands. Like the Canterbury it, too, is an artificial reef supporting marine life, though it also serves as a memorial to the struggle for a nuclear free Pacific, and to crew member Fernando Pereira who was killed by the explosion from a second French bomb attached to the Rainbow Warrior’s hull during the 1985 attack,” says Bill.

Crew of the HMNZS Otago at the Mururoa Nuclear Test Zone, 1973. Image: Archives New Zealand

“Overlooking Matauri Bay and the site of the scuttled ship, a sculpture by Kerikeri artist Chris Booth honours the vessel, and the people and values it represents.”

Emblematic of the history of protesting nuclear testing in the Pacific, the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior and other sites around the North Island closely associated with the ship are the focus of further research.

In addition to the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior itself, Bill says the ship’s masts and other fittings on display at Dargaville Museum are part of that story.

“The significance of the 50th anniversary of New Zealand protesting against French nuclear testing in the Pacific is such that the Ministry for Culture and Heritage Manatū Taonga has identified it as an official New Zealand commemoration anniversary,” he says.

“Much of the history of the anti-nuclear protest movement – which eventually resulted in the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act of 1987 – coalesces around the story of the Rainbow Warrior. The time is right to recognise Aotearoa New Zealand’s heritage of anti-nuclear activism.” n

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WAIKATO

New to the List: Drovers’ Trough and Accommodation Field WORDS: Antony Phillips

IMAGE: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

Those involved in rural life or at least travel along our rural roads, will be familiar with troughs as a regular feature dotting our pastoral landscape – but what makes this one heritage? completed in 1911. Within a short time of its completion, the facility was in frequent use for cattle and sheep mobs, forming part of a network of resting stops along the droving route.

The design of the Drovers' Trough caught Alexandra’s attention.

The newly listed Category 2 Drovers' Trough and Accommodation Field.

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curious landmark critical to the development of early 20th century farming has been recognised as a Category 2 historic place and added to the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero (number 1681).

Situated in the heart of Waikato, and unassumingly perched to the side of State Highway 5 in a 100-kilometre zone, the 111-year-old Drovers’ Trough is easy to miss by passing motorists. Its low profile, concrete construction, and placement in the middle of a paddock does little to distinguish it from the many others in a region world-renowned for export-quality primary production.

The practice of droving livestock long distances in Aotearoa New Zealand has become a feature of the past for our farming community. The significance of the Drovers’ Trough and Accommodation Field draws from its historical position as a rare surviving example of a community facility supporting the development of early farming and agricultural industry.

The latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century saw an increase in the number of farms and closer economic

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relations between Aotearoa New Zealand and Britain. High volumes of sheep, beef and dairy production were produced for refrigerated export.

“The development of a pastoral economy of commercially viable, intensive smallscale farms, required an increase in stock movement,” according to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Heritage Assessment Advisor, Alexandra Foster, who led the listing process.

“With increasing and specialised farming operations, droving stock either to a railhead or from farm to farm became an essential facilitating factor.

“Farmers in the Tapapa area called for droving facilities to be established in their area, including Johnathon Kittow, who offered water supply from his own farm,” Alexandra adds.

In 1909, an 11-acre portion of land was gazetted by the Crown for a ‘Stockyard and water reserve for stock’ on the Cambridge to Rotorua road. The land was vested with the Matamata County Council and after a spell of funding issues the Trough and Accommodation Field was

“The [triangular design] of the trough is an unusual design and no similar examples were located during the assessment.

Stock troughs on farms and drovers’ troughs appear to have generally been rectangular. Surviving examples include several horse troughs in urban contexts such as the Khandallah Road Horse Trough, Wellington, and the Horse Trough, Sturdee Street Market Place, Auckland.

“Many troughs that were built for droving have been demolished due to their proximity to roads that have been widened over the 20th century," says Alexandra.

The introduction of stock trucks as well as the development of on farm machinery and infrastructure contributed to the decline of droving. In addition to changing farming habits, the proliferation of private vehicle ownership and changing public attitudes, which stemmed from delays caused by droving mobs, added to further negative sentiment towards the practice.

The Trough is largely in original condition and has been maintained since 1995 and wooden bollards have been added to protect the structure.

Travellers and locals zipping past the unassuming field on State Highway 5 will be forgiven for not taking note of the newly listed trough, showing that heritage can be found in the humblest of places. n

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