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• Korero Tuku Iho

 

It is always a journey through time in Te Arawa.
In this land, past, present and future move as one.
It is as astonishing as it is perplexing.
But it is real.

“Today sets the future but the past holds the answers,” says cultural advisor, Te Keepa Marsh. “Know this and the heavens open.”

For the first time, Te Puia will begin to share knowledge that has been carefully stored and, at times, fiercely guarded for generations.

It is the story of creation, an account so ancient it reaches back into the realms of nothingness – before all life, before all worlds, before humankind.

“We were very cautious about doing this. But what use is knowledge if it is hidden? What good is it if I cleave to this history? That is not what we are about,” says Te Keepa.

“All tribes have their own histories. In Te Arawa, this is our belief of where we came from, before life as we know it, through the heavens, into the world of mankind to where we are today. It is the answer to Ko Wai Ahau? Who Am I?”

Indeed, to sit with Te Keepa is to be swept into a dominion of Gods and heavens, where the birth of universes are documented, levels of heavens recorded, formation of stars recited and names of every ancestor, hundreds of ancestors, are written and memorised. It is enlightening, fascinating, thought provoking and unforgettable.

The challenge for Te Puia, therefore, was to create an experience just as memorable, a chance for visitors to see the world through the eyes of Maori and discover their own uniqueness.

Thus, in February 2005 Korero Tuku Iho opened the door to a deep and profound past, a walk that crosses the threshold of time into the land of the ancients.

From the moment visitors step beneath Waharoa, the carved archway, sounds and chants herald the beginning of creation – the nothingness where energies gathered, movement stirred, particles sparked and forces exploded.

From the nothingness came darkness. From the darkness came light. From the light spilled heavens and dimensions, each known and named.

As visitors move into the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley where the earth’s crust is thinnest, so they move closer to this world’s creation.

Here, guides share the story of Rangi, the sky father, and Papatuanuku, the earth mother, separated by their children who craved the light.

The children are Mana Atua, Gods in their own right, guardians of the earth they created. Throughout the walk, carvings signifying these guardians peer out from the environment, their roles conveyed as the visitor passes. It marks the beginning of the Natural World.

“When we move into the bush, for instance, we meet Tane Mahuta, God of the forest. Visitors will see what was created, hear the story, feel the elements, learn how every living thing is connected,” says Te Keepa. “That is when we begin to understand that we are part of a bigger picture.”

From the bush approaches the era of man. Here stands Tumatauenga, God of warfare and mankind. It is from this guardian the people of Te Arawa descend.

So, the history of the tribe unfolds, the arrival of the Te Arawa canoe from the Pacific and the coming of its people to this land, a people who have lived here for nearly 700 years.

Customs and culture were defined by this new home, a valley where the goddesses of fire, Te Pupu and Te Hoata, breathed and created thermal wonders.

To ensure interpretations remain true, audio posts will be incorporated into the walk in several languages.

Guides too will share their own history. Some can recount their family lineage 25 generations back to Te Arawa canoe. They too are now guardians.

Hence, the natural conclusion turns to ancestors buried on the sacred rise of Te Puia, site of an unbeatable fortress and protector of all.

This is no ordinary walk. It is a voyage through the rhythm of life, a journey into the very heartbeat of an indigenous people and a passage to knowledge as high as the heavens they descend from.