These activity resources can be used to explore the museum displays and discover how objects within the museum collection connect with the stories and landscape of Wairoa. They can be adapted to suit different time frames, levels and learning objectives. The activity themes and content are connected so that a number of different activities can be sequenced to create a half day or full day programme based at the museum, including short walks to explore the local landscape. Hard copies of activity resources are available for use at the museum, or alternatively groups can bring their own copies of the resources they need.
Please contact the museum staff to discuss your visit and the resources required.
Email info@wairoamuseum.org.nz
Phone 06 838 3108
Wairoa Museum – Activities has four parts to it
- Hidden Treasures
- Wairoa River Stories
- Wairoa River Heritage Trails
- Now and Then
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activities
© Wairoa Museum 2016
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contents
Activity Overview
Activity Resources
Hidden Treasures
Wairoa River Stories
Wairoa River Heritage Trails
Now and Then
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These activity resources can be used to explore
the museum displays and discover how objects
within the museum collection connect with the
stories and landscape of Wairoa. They can be
adapted to suit different time frames, levels
and learning objectives. The activity themes
and content are connected so that a number of
different activities can be sequenced to create
a half day or full day programme based at
the museum, including short walks to explore
the local landscape. Hard copies of activity
resources are available for use at the museum, or
alternatively groups can bring their own copies
of the resources they need. Please contact
the museum staff to discuss your visit and the
resources required.
Email info@wairoamuseum.org.nz
Phone 06 838 3108
Wairoa Hotel, Marine Parade, 1887
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Activities
HIDDEN TREAS URES
Hidden Treasures is a series of pictorial treasure hunts that take place within the museum
galleries. These aim to provide a fun experience for students by encouraging them to
explore the museum exhibitions. The activity involves small groups of students using close
up photographs to find specific objects within the various museum displays.
The images are grouped into three different treasure hunts:
- Photography, Medical & Industry – 18 photo clues
- Stone, Wood & Fibre – 30 photo clues
- Hidden Treasures of Wairoa Museum – 40 photo clues
These can be adapted to meet the needs of different groups – for example Stone, Wood &
Fibre photo clues could be split to create three different treasure hunts exploring the same
theme, or a small number of photo clues could be selected to create a quick 10 minute
museum activity.
For each object located groups can record information about the object they have found –
for example: - What is it?
- What is it used for?
- Where did it come from?
- Whereabouts in the museum is it displayed?
- Why is it here?
- Why is it significant?
- Is there a story that relates to it?
- What else can you find out about it?
ACTIVIT Y OVE RVIEW
Resources for this activity are on pages 8 to 31.
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TIMES CHANGE
In our Discovery Centre you will find a large illustrated map on the floor that can be used
for a number of group activities. This illustration shows the area of the Wairoa township in
the mid 1800s – a time of great change.
The illustrated map can be used in a number of ways – for example: - As the focus of a storytelling activity exploring the significance and history of the river
using the Wairoa River Stories outlined below. Alternatively students can research and
write their own storylines about Wairoa in the mid 1800s and present them using the
illustrated map to assist their storytelling - As a starting point for the Wairoa River Heritage Trails activity, or following a walk
around the river trails the map can be used to recap the stories, names and places
visited - For the Now and Then activity groups can use the map to discuss some of the changes
to the landscape of Wairoa - As an extension to the Now and Then activity students can use the map to visualise
what the views from these locations would have looked like in the mid 1800s, before
photography arrived in Wairoa, and then create an artwork or image to show the scene
in the mid 1800s - To discuss and explore the background to the attack on Omaruhakeke using the content
from page 4 of the Omaruhakeke resource booklet
WAI ROA RIVER STO RIES
These are a collection of short storylines that draw on the information contained within the
museum collection and inventory. They explore different perspectives towards the history
and significance of the Wairoa River and can be used in various ways to create place-based
learning experiences for groups of all ages. The stories provide information that relates to
the illustrated map within the Discovery Centre and the Wairoa River Heritage Trails. The
storylines are on pages 32 to 37.
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WAI ROA RIVER HERITA GE TRAI LS
This is a place-based activity that aims to explore the heritage and significance of the
Wairoa River and introduce some of the names and historic sites associated with the river.
There are three different maps provided: - Map 1 shows historic places and names from different times (from early Maori
settlement to more recent history) and includes shortened versions of the Wairoa River
Stories - Map 2 shows historic places from the mid 1800s and also includes the shortened Wairoa
River Stories - Map 3 shows places and names from mid 1800s Wairoa without the storylines
These maps and the accompanying stories can be used to create a number of different
Wairoa River Heritage Trails exploring the landscape of the river.
The river walkways provide easy walking access to most of the places on the map. You will
find signs, interpretation panels and plaques along the way that contain further information.
The sites can be visited in any order and the walk can be adapted to suit different levels
– for example students could be asked to research a site beforehand and present their
information to the rest of the group during the walk. Walking routes and times can vary
depending on the needs and interests of each group.
If possible take a camera with you to photograph sites of interest. The plaques along
the river walkway could also be photographed, or for a more hands on approach this
information can be collected by taking rubbings from the plaques using paper and a crayon.
The maps can be used in many different ways – for example: - Map 1 can be used to provide an overview of the history of the river with a walk that
starts at the Portland Island Lighthouse and follows the walkway downstream to
Spooners Point, including six stops along the way. Discuss the information within the
storylines and the places on the map, ask questions to encourage discussion of the
rivers heritage, how the landscape around the river has changed and why these changes
have occurred - Alternatively Map 1 or 2 can be used within the classroom to introduce students to
aspects of the rivers history. Choose specific places to research further and design your
own River Heritage Trail. Visit each site and present the information found to the class
or group - Map 3 can be used as a recap activity following a visit to the museum or a heritage trail
walk – for example students could write their own stories onto the map based on what
they’ve learned, or they can research and find different stories that relate to the rivers
history - Map 3 could also be used either before or after a museum visit for students to
brainstorm questions that they have about the rivers heritage places, then use these
questions as the basis for a student led enquiry or research project
The maps are on pages 39 to 44.
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NOW AND THEN
Now and Then is a place-based activity in which students recreate historic photographs to
explore changes to the landscape around the Wairoa River.
Students can select a photo, or a number of photos, and use the map to find the locations
from which they were taken, then retake the image showing the same view today. The
images can then be compared to identify and discuss what has changed, why and how
these changes have occurred, and think about what the future may hold for these places.
An extension activity could include students creating their own vision for these places and
presenting their vision as an artwork or image showing what this view may look like in the
future.
A further extension activity could involve students finding other historic photographs of
the area, either from the museum or from their own family collections, and recreating these
photos today along with a discussion of the changes and a focus on the future.
The map on page 46 shows the different locations from which the six historic photographs
were taken. The six historic photographs are on pages 47 to 52 and large format hard
copy versions are available for use within the museum. Groups will need to bring their own
cameras for this activity.
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activity resources
hidden treasures…
stone wood & fibre
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hidden treasures…
photography, medical
& industry
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hidden treasures
of wairoa mu seum
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wairoa river stories
It is said that the tears of Ranginui
nourish his beloved Papatuanuku
throughout their permanent separation.
Rain is the gift of love from Sky Father.
Earth Mother treasures this gift, storing
and releasing it so she may nourish and
sustain all who dwell with her.
In the primordial heat generated by
their love, the tears return to Sky Father
cleansed and he is sustained by all that
his tears have done for his love and their
offspring.
Sky Father cries again for his beloved
and this is the cycle of an ancient,
permanent love which sustains all it
encompasses.
water
Water is everything. Water is the great mauri
of our existence as it sustains all living entities,
whether we acknowledge them as living or not.
Every rock, every tree, every animal has a mauri
which is nourished by the great mauri water.
Water carves and shapes the landscape and in
doing so our lives, loves and losses.
Water carries nutrients and cleanses and when
it can do no more it returns to the sky through
evaporation to start anew. Water is essential
to our very existence. Water is the energy
permeating through life. Water is the greatest
mauri of all. Water is everything – it is the life
blood of our universe.
The water bodies of this district compose the
life-blood of our landscape. All are important
to sustaining life – from the springs, wells,
underground rivers and lakes to the creeks,
streams, rivers, lakes, lagoons and the sea. All
water features play a part in the great story of
our existence regardless of their size or volume.
These waterways convey the life essence of
the land and the ancient love of Ranginui and
Papatuanuku. They are the veins through which
life pulses and connects all.
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land
Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga Maui is known throughout the Pacific. He lived
an extraordinary life which is still recalled and
discussed today. Many of his deeds explain the
Pacifica mindset and his presence in whakapapa
details how each of the Pacific nations relate to
each other. The tangata whenua of Wairoa are
descendants of Maui and his story is the oldest
and strongest part of local identity.
Maui goes fishing Maui wanted to go fishing but his older brothers
would not help or take him. One day he visited
his grandmother and she gave him her jawbone
to use as a fish-hook. Because his grandmother
was a goddess her jawbone contained special
powers.
Maui hid in the bottom of his brother’s fishing
waka and when they were far out to sea at their
fishing grounds Maui came out of hiding. Maui
did not like the fishing ground they were at as
the special powers of his hook told him to travel
more. He made his brothers travel further and
further out to sea.
When Maui was happy with a place to fish at
his brothers would not share their fishing bait
with him. His brothers were angry because
Maui made them travel so far. So Maui hit his
own nose causing it to bleed. He used his own
blood as bait on the special hook from his
grandmother and then threw the hook into the
sea. Maui caught a huge fish – a giant stingray.
The older name of the North Island is Te Ika a
Maui, which means ‘The Fish of Maui’. If you
look down at the North Island from very high
its shape is very much like that of a very big
stingray.
Whakapunake When Maui caught his great fish, the special
hook did not catch the stingray in the mouth,
instead it ‘foul-snared’ the fish in its side. Our
sacred mountain Whakapunake is where his
hook foul-snared. Whakapunake is the short
name for the mountain, and means ‘to foulsnare’.
‘Pu’ means to pierce. ‘Na Ke’ means ‘in
a place not intended’. The long name for the
mountain is ‘Te whakapunake a te matau a
Maui-Tikitiki-a-Taranga’, which means ‘Where
the hook of Maui-Tikitiki-a-Taranga foul-snared’.
Te Matau a Maui The older name for the land that is now known
as Hawke’s Bay is Te Matau a Maui, which means
‘The Hook of Maui’. It is in the shape of Maui’s
special hook with Mahia Peninsula being the
barb of the hook and Cape Kidnappers the head.
Some say the bay was made in the shape of
Maui’s special hook as a reminder of how the
land was fished up. Others say the hook fell and
turned into the land surrounding the bay, the
land that we live on today.
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people
Since the time of Maui mankind has travelled
and inhabited these lands, following the starpath
set by Maui himself. One of the later
arrivals was Ruawharo, who came to Aotearoa
a very long time after Maui did. Maui was his
ancestor and Ruawharo knew the history about
Maui’s fish, of Whakapunake and Te Matau
a Maui. Ruawharo came on board the waka
Takitimu, an extremely sacred vessel.
When the holy waka Takitimu arrived at these
shores it did so carrying a sacred cargo of
spiritual and physical knowledge, imbued in
the memory banks of those on board. It was
at Nukutaurua/Mahia that the great tohunga
Ruawharo disembarked and made his home.
Here he planted mauri and passed on the holy
cargo of the Takitimu.
At Waikawa (also known as Koura and Portland
Island) Ruawharo established a wananga or
special house of learning which he called Ngaheru-
mai-tawhiti. It became the spiritual centre
of the East Coast. Ruawharo chose Waikawa as
it was the barb of Maui’s hook, and was made
sacred by the blood of Maui being smeared over
it.
While the Takitumu was at Nukutaurua/Mahia it
was damaged when it hit a rock. The makeshift
repairs were unsatisfactory when they left
Mahia so it was decided to stop at Nuhaka. The
Takitimu was moored in the Nuhaka River in two
places – near what is now known as Taruke Park
and then hauled into a stream bed adjacent to
Taupatemarangai. The Takitimu spent some 6
months at Nuhaka while it was repaired and left
an impression of its hull in the ground.
The next port of call for the Takitimu was the
Wairoa River. When crossing the bar the waka
turned and was almost capsized. The Takitimu
and crew then ventured up the Wairoa River and
landed at Makeakea.
our river
The Wairoa River holds great significance
for those who live here. Its full name is Te
Wairoa Hopupu Honengenenge Matangi Rau.
It means the long water that bubbles, swirls
and is uneven. This name is said to reflect the
mood of the people who live along its shores –
quarrelsome, argumentative and short tempered
but, like the river, they all come together in the
end, and when the need arises they are always
on hand to support each other.
The main tributaries to the Wairoa River are the
Waiau, Waikare-Taheke, Ruakituri and Hangaroa.
It is also made up from water from many creeks,
streams, springs and lakes. The rivers headwaters
are at Te Kapu (Frasertown) where the Ruakituri
and the Waiau rivers meet. It ends at Te
Whanga-a-Ruawharo (Hawke Bay), where the
river meets the sea.
Traditionally the river was divided into three
parts – these are fishing boundaries. In the old
days you only fished along the part of the river
that you lived next to. Te Wairoa Hopupu is the
largest fishing area, as there are less fish in this
part of the river. Te Wairoa Honengenenge is
the part of the river you are next to now. The
closer you get to the sea the smaller the areas
are, as the numbers of fish increase. Therefore Te
Wairoa Matangi Rau is the smallest fishing area
because it has the greatest amount of fish in it.
There are many taniwha who live in the waters
of the Wairoa River. Taniwha protect locals
from outsiders and it is outsiders who call them
taniwha. To the local people they are called
kaitiaki, which means guardian.
Tupaheke is a guardian who lives under a rock
at the bar and has giant claws like a crab. He
can call to the winds to make the sea rough
and he protects people from any danger that
may come over the sea. Muremure lives in the
Awatere creek, which flows into the Wairoa
River. Muremure looks after this area. He looks
like a giant log of wood sitting in the water. He
likes to be quiet. Te Kautu lives in the river near
Lockwood Point. He looks like a huge, scaly,
unusual fish. Te Kautu likes to build nests of
driftwood in the water. He knows this part of the
river is dangerous to swim in and he doesn’t like
people in the water. It is best to leave Te Kautu
alone to his nest-building.
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‘’We were dependent and reliant on the river and so it was treated with
respect. In my day [early 1900s] the river was not as wide as it is now, nor
as deep. The river was divided into three sections, Wairoa Ho Pupu (which
extended from Frasertown to the Turiroa cutting), Ho Nenge Nenge (from
the cutting to Spooners Point), and Ma Tangi Rau (Spooners point to the
sea).
You fished in the area that you came from – you would not go and fish in
another section of the river. You would wait for those people to visit and
bring fish from there for you. We only caught what we needed and when the
whitebait ran, if we caught more, then we would share it with others in our
community.’’ Maggie Peka – Ngati Kahungunu – 2001
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our place
“Ka tere Rauwa,
ka tere Pipiwhakao”
Rauwa was a large forest situated on the
Wairoa flat where the main township
is today. Further north, in Turanga was
another large forest known as Pipiwhakao.
Both forests had an abundance of kiekie
growing in them. To ensure a plentiful
supply of the tawhara fruit of the kiekie
for all, rahui were placed on the forests
until the tawhara was ripe. When the rahui
in each respective forest was lifted, the
kiekie bushes seemed to move with life
as hundreds of people went about their
business collecting tawhara. Hence the
saying “Ka tere Rauwa, ka tere Pipiwhakao”
-“Rauwa and Pipiwhakao are on the move”.
There were previously several pallisaded pa sites
within the area of the Wairoa town centre as well
as unfortified villages. Each had direct access
to the river and were sheltered from the cold
southerly winds by the large wild kiekie forest
known as Te Rauwa. Along the riverbanks were
large gardens where kumara was grown, and
from the 1850s potatoes, wheat and corn were
cultivated, as well as extensive plantings of fruit
trees, grapes and melons.
The area was very swampy, with the remains
of forest trees and patches of scrub and bush,
as well as huge stands of flax with magnificent
blades between 10 and 12 feet long. In winter
the town flat became so boggy it was nearly
always impassable, meaning the only way to
travel by foot was along the riverbanks. The river
itself was the main thoroughfare where canoes
both large and small would transport goods and
people. The river was central to daily life.
Wairoa Tapoko Rau The name of the river is not to be confused
with the name of the town, which is Te Wairoa
Tapoko Rau, meaning ‘Wairoa full of boggy
holes’. As with many whakatauki there are
also hidden messages in this deceptive name.
‘Wairoa of many pits ’is also a reference to
makutu – the people of Wairoa in former
times were great masters of the art and their
reputation throughout the country was well
known. Part of one of the makutu ceremonies
involved digging a shallow pit over which a fire
was lit. ‘Wairoa of many traps’ is a reference to
the beauty of the women of this area, as men
cannot help by falling into the trap of love with
such beauties.
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new arrivals
In October 1769 Lieutenant James Cook on
board the HMS Endeavour anchored westwards
of Mahia Peninsula. During his visit he noted
the mouth of the Wairoa River on his chart and
renamed the landscape around him, calling
Kahutara ‘Table Cape’ and Waikawa ‘The Isle
of Portland’. On his return to England Cook
reported on the abundant natural resources of
Aotearoa. About 60 years after the Endeavour
visit the first Europeans began to arrive to
harvest these resources and settle in this area.
In the 1830s flax traders arrived from New South
Wales, Australia. Thick clumps of flax flourished
on the flats of Wairoa and the early settlers
quickly recognised the economic potential,
erecting mills at numerous swamp land sites.
These traders exchanged muskets, blankets,
tobacco, alcohol and other products for flax
fibre and locally grown produce such as wheat,
maize, potatoes and pork. Flax traders were soon
followed by whalers and missionaries seeking to
convert Maori to Christianity. Whaling stations
were set up around the Mahia peninsula.
At this time access to Wairoa was predominantly
by sea and European settlement was slow as
iwi were reluctant to sell their land. In 1865
Donald McLean, on behalf of the Government,
negotiated the purchase of 4750 acres of land
for the township and called it Clyde, however the
river ruled the life of the residents and the name
Wairoa prevailed.
As the township developed, and trade and
industry increased, the people of Wairoa
remained dependent on the river for transport
and the shipping of freight. A regular ferry
began operating from the Ferry Hotel prior to
1875 connecting the township to North Clyde.
In 1888 a new bridge built of iron and steel
cylinders was opened to relieve the ferry traffic.
It was built from totara wood with a lifting
span to enable vessels to pass up-stream. The
bridge collapsed during the 1931 earthquake
and another quake in 1932 damaged the
replacement. 1933 saw the bridge reopened
until it was destroyed by Cyclone Bola in 1988.
The present bridge was opened in February 1990
by Queen Elizabeth II.
Numerous wharves were built along the
riverbanks to service the flax mills, freezing
works and dairy factory. The wharves were
used extensively up until the 1930s, when the
opening of rail and road vehicle services and
the expansion of other ports along the coast,
combined with the untameable bar, caused the
decline of shipping activity and the eventual
closure of the river port in 1939.
‘’11 March 1853 – A higher flood than any I have witnessed since my 8½
years residence at the Wairoa – a great number of totares came and went out
to sea, whole stacks of wheat we witnessed passed down the river and several
houses… their crops of corn and potatoes and kumara, if not all destroyed will
be greatly injured by the flood and the continuance of the rain.’’
From the diary of James Hamlin 1803-1865
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WAI ROA RIVER
HERITA GE TRAI LS
MAP 1
MAP 1
MAP 2
MAP 2
MAP 3
MAP 3
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NOW AND THEN
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Wairoa River
Marine Parade
Queen Street
Carroll Street
Hunter-Brown Street 1
2
3
4
5
6
You stand within a changing landscape…
F ind the sites marked on the map
Ph otograph the views shown as they are today
Compare your photos to the historic photographs within the Wairoa Museum
Id entify what has changed, and what hasn’t changed, between now and then
C onsider why and how these changes have taken place
Th ink about what the future may bring…
What is your vision?
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1 Circa 1920
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2 1887
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3 pre-1931
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pre-1931 4
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5 circa 1940
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6 pre-1924