🌟Manawatia a Matariki 🌟

Friday 10 July

Our lovely friends Matt & Emma have a place out in Duvauchelle on the Banks Peninsula but we always seem to be miles away whenever they invite us over… this time we managed to coordinate things, packed a bag and, leaving Banjo at Westoby Farm, we headed back out past Little River and over the big hill to Duvauchelle - sadly leaving the blue skies of Ōtautahi Christchurch in the rear view mirror!

Once Tui had remembered that she had already met us and did actually like us, we were given a warm welcome and settled in for a chill 24 hours with fab company. Tui is the funniest dog, she has the odd panic about things, sings and chatters, and guards her space very diligently - she loves a good cuddle and a tickle, but only when she has decided you are not a threat... and she forgets quite often that she knows us and has to reacquaint herself with us before accepting pats!

Lovely casual lunch with salad, cheese, dips and sourdough, then we all hopped in Matt’s Pajero and headed over to Akaroa again. Tui was not impressed with being relegated to the boot and let us know about her displeasure!

Back in Akaroa just a day later, there was even less blue sky than yesterday, but the moody monochrome light out over the harbour was phenomenal. The Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans) was coming into flower along the shoreline, these plants are so stunning with their vibrant purple & pink blooms that the bees absolutely adore.

Emma was keen to show us the new Takapūneke Reserve so we walked up past the lighthouse, climbed up to the Britomart Monument then on into the reserve. HMS Britomart was sailed post haste down to Akaroa from Russell in the Bay of Islands in 1840 to plant a Union Jack flag and lay claim to the South Island for Britain, as France had already made great inroads in this area and they too had sent a ship which arrived 5 days later and surrendered the colony to the United Kingdom. Heaps of piwakawaka fantails flitting about around the monument, they were so brave, swooping close past us and Tui.

The land, the whenua, at Takapūneke Reserve has long been considered Tapu to the local Iwi, following a massacre in 1830, and the new reserve is being constructed in partnership between Ōnuku Runanga and Christchurch City Council and is still evolving.

An outstanding feature of the reserve is the beautiful wood carving in the Park of Reflection - be it on pou, on the wooden floor tiles, the tiki guarding the pathways and even the arcing benches. A pair of takarangi (double spirals) have been created, one centering on a wooden totem or pou and one on a sheltered space with beautiful wooden weaving overhead and a koru swirl.

Over to one side is the first Pou erected and revealed at Matarangi 2022 - Pou-tū-te-Raki-o-Te-Maiharanui. From top to bottom the carvings represent "Hei Tiki" - the human state of being, then "Manaia" - a state of becoming and at the base, "Karopepe" - the state of potential being. Leading up to the Pou on one swirl of the takarangi the floor tiles show representations of the past and the intricate history of this land. It’s a beautifully thoughtful commemoration of a troubled history and a resolution of decades of Māori struggle to have their voices heard in this sacred place.

From here we looped round through the Anglican, Catholic & Dissenters’ cemeteries (question - is the sign suggesting the Anglicans were all poisonous???) and the Garden of Tane back to the car… It was a novelty to see the dangerous playground rides of my youth installed there - though whether they were installations or actual playthings I am not sure. The rain rolled in, letting us know it was time to head home for a cup of tea - or a glass of champagne!

Lovely Matariki evening with Matt & Emma & Tui - dinner upstairs then drinkies on the deck under the twinkly lights & time for sparklers to celebrate the Māori New Year.

Ended with some riotous rounds of Flip7 then fell into bed - warm & toasty and full of happiness & whanaungatanga 🥰