Whirinaki - Te Whaiti and its history of colonisation

Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi in the Whirinaki Valley is a sacred place that preserves the mana and wisdom of our ancestors, some of Aotearoa's earliest inhabitants.

Te Whaiti and its two maraes are the gateway to our valley. Our resilient Iwi, Ngati Whare, have a rich history. Situated on the edge of the Urewera it has been a "no mans land" between Tuhoe and many other strong iwi; the melting pot of many waves of migration, both Maori and Pakeha. This is a good place for us to all reflect and learn about the processes of colonisation.

Our precious Whirinaki Forest has been exploited by sawmillers and fought over by international conservationalists.

These historical tours, storytelling and interpretation are included in our Marae retreats.

Watch also for our summer holiday programme events.

...............:

NOTICES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

Learn what Kaitiakitanga means to us

VIDEOCLIPS ON LINE (Index here)

Guided Tours - Local guides will share their treasure with you
Mountainbiking - ride the spectacular Whirinaki MTB track
Tramping in Whirinaki. - Experience our place
Camping at Mangamate Waterfall - upgraded for your next hols
Disabled or impaired - Local support and guides are available
Accommodation - to make your Whirinaki experience

WEMZ Project - The Whirinaki Ecological Management Zone
Our Right Royal Kiwi, Princess Beatrice adopted by Prince Andrew
Other species recovery projects - Kiwi, Weka and Kaka

Powhiri - our formal welcome to visitors (see marae visits)
What we and our school are up to download videoclips

David Bellamy "Moa's Ark Revisited" Whirinaki 25 report, Sept 09 Dialoque in our rainforest with Hunter Lovins - US environmentalist

Information - menus at the top of every page access our local services

wallcalendar
Download our free Matariki Calendar

c) 2001 onwards Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi. All intellectual property protected under the provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi 1840 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Adopted by General Assembly 13 Sept 2007) - details www.tewhaiti-nui-a-toi.maori.nz

This site is under constant development thanks to assistance from teams at AUT. An * in a menu is used to show a function that is not yet available. We are working to establish a multimedia organisation in our community to carry out ongoing development. (Our students at Te Kura Toitu o Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi were awarded third place in the 2003 NZ school web challenge). Feedback please to temporary webmaster.