The Tuia Mātauranga GeoTour is about having fun discovering the history of Aotearoa New Zealand by finding sites of significance in local communities from early Pacific voyaging and migration, European settlement to present day. The interaction between people, and people and the land have provided a rich history that the GeoTour invites you to explore.
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Hutia te rito o te harakeke
Kei whea, te kōmako e kō?
When the heart is torn
from the flax bush
where will the Bell bird sing?
Ngāi Tūāhuriri were a thriving people in 1848. The social structures of Iwi, hapu and whanau worked alongside the practices of mahinga kai (food gathering places) to keep everyone fed and healthy. Ōtākaro (the Avon river) was a primary mahinga kai for Ngāi Tūāhuriri. This slow-moving body of fresh water was a major driver for the economy, providing their people with food to keep bellies full, as well as for trade with the settlers in the Christchurch region. The area was also a source for harakeke, a plant that had multiple uses. Each pā had their own harakeke plantation. Kemp's purchase in 1848 put paid to that along the Ōtākaro. The local Māori were effectively dispossessed.
Harakeke played an important role for Māori. Flax fibre was used in making clothing, shoes, ropes, cords, mats, baskets, nets, traps and fishing lines. Nectar was used to sweeten. Flax could be used to make rafts. It also had medicinal uses.
Janet Stewart Reserve incorporates an extensive Pā Harakeke — a planted area of special flaxes suitable for traditional Māori weaving. It is named Te Kōrari and is a taonga (treasure) for the Christchurch weaving community. On site there are descriptions of the uses of flax by Māori.
Today there is a resurgent interest in using flax especially as a means of getting rid of plastics for groceries. A least one Christchurch supermarket is trialling the use of harakeke kete (baskets)
UPDATE: Currently access is only via Prestons Road,Te Kōrari St then onto Lower Styx Road as the bridge on Marshland road is being replaced so only traffic exiting from Lower Styx Road can get onto Marshsland Road. A car GPS should take you the right way. Some of the harakeke looks to have been removed for the bridge work. Incidentally I met one of the women that weaves the flax out at the Reserve, and she says much of the harakeke here is diseased or in poor health and it is becoming difficult to find in the length needed. She was looking for some long lengths to finsh the new born baskets she makes. She mentioned also that another source is the Rene Orchiston Collection maintained by Manaaki Whenua at Lincoln. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu pēpi packs (see link below) are given to all registered newborn Ngāi Tahu.
Sources:
https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/janet-stewart-reserve/
https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/harakeke/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax_in_New_Zealand
http://www.paharakeke.co.nz/pa-harakeke/about-harakeke/
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/collections/new-zealand-flax-collections/establishing-a-pa-harakeke/
https://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/our_stories/enthusiastic-response-to-pepi-packs/
To be able to complete this Geotour and receive your special geocoin, remember to take a note of the codeword on the log book of the cache. This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded from here. If the passport is unavailable for any reason just keep a note of the codeword and try again later.