The retaining wall below the path is made up of 120 colour stained panels, which stretch the length of about two rugby fields and showcases local iwi artwork. Unfortunately the artwork is below the shared path of Otago Harbour to the peninsula, so you can only see them from the road level.
The artwork is said in an ODT article to tell the story of a guardian Taniwha known as Matamata.
Aorearoa is said to be populated with taniwha and ngara, strange monsters of land and water. Some say the white man's magic has sent them to sleepy, but they lie hidden unde hills and deep water. Every tribe has their own stories of these man-eating monsters, so we must remember that these tales would be told as firelight flickerz on the reed walls of the whare and the darkness becomes alive with strange things out of the past.
Ngāi Tahu oral historian Tumai Cassidy says local Māori history records that the landscape of the Taiari Plains, its surrounding hills and Ōtākou (Otago) Harbour were all formed by a taniwha, Matamata, who was a kaitiaki, guardian, of Kāti Māmoe chief Te Rakitauneke.
Left behind when the Te Rakitauneke went to war, Matamata, a great lizard-like being, went searching for the chief. His claws and tail carved up the land, creating Ōtākou Harbour, the twisting Taiari River and other local waterways.
Matamata eventually gave up his search and came to rest near what is now Mosgiel, his body forming Pukemakamaka and Turimakamaka, known as Saddle Hill. This landscape, formed by Matamata, sustained Māori for many generations.
There are great oral stories shared in https://www.odt.co.nz/features/southern-television/episode-5-hakitekura-centre-ill-fated-love-story
I have also enjoyed reading about stories; I have a copy of Maori Myths & Legendary Tales by AW Reed which I used in part for this.
Wish to attend New Zealand’s next large multi-day event? GCA7ZHD Geo Toroa will be held on NZ’s Labour Day long weekend 26-27th October 2024 in Dunedin. Details in the link below;
