Reliving History. Tours that retell the stories on which a nation was founded

The bi-cultural society that is now exists in Aotearoa New Zealand had its very beginnings in the Bay of Islands, at the top of what is known as Te Ika a Maui, the fish of Maui.

Thus, the Maori tourism operations which are located near the tail of the fish have a rightful claim as having special status.

They are, after all, located in the birthplace of a nation, and in a region which hosted the first-ever tourism enterprises in New Zealand.

Among the specialist Maori tourism operations which are now scattered through the Tai Tokerau region is Cape Brett Walkways Ltd and its associate, Kiwi Eco Tours Ltd.

In essence, Kiwi Eco Tours handles the marine side of the operations, while Cape Brett Walkways is the land-based concern.

But the story told by the guides of both is intertwined, just as the early water-based and land-based history in this region was inextricably linked.

The two companies market their products under the common brand of the ‘Hole Cape Experienz’, a name that builds on the marketing brand of the national Maori tourism network Maori Experienz, of which they were a founding member.

The companies are owned and operated by Gary and Maryanne Hooson, Peter and Moana Stuart and Richard Witehira, whose families call the Bay of Islands their turangawaewae, or home ground - the place in which they stand.

The mainstay of the operation are journeys to the Hole in the Rock - which each year attracts thousands of visitors to the Bay of Islands - and the Cape Brett walkway.

Throughout these journeys, visitors begin to gain an insight into, and appreciation of, the rich and colourful history which has evolved over more than 1000 years - the period in which there has been human habitation on the eastern side of the Bay of Islands.

On the voyage aboard the company’s newly-commissioned 11 metre catamaran Matariki, the company’s guides tell of earlier times, when their ancestors were locked in pitched battles, at first through inter-tribal warfare and then, in the early 1800s, with the British colonisers.

There is the cove in which the most famous of Britain’s sea captains, James Cook, kept the Endeavour at anchor in 1769 for a week. Cook’s Cove reflects an occasion which was to change the face of Aotearoa New Zealand forever.

“When James Cook arrived here, this was one of the most populated regions in the country,” Richard tells his manuhiri, the guests from around the world who voyage on Matariki.

“There are many waahi tapu (sacred sites) and pa (fortified villages) along this peninsula and on the islands which we pass on our way out to the cape.”

It is also the point from which the Northland iwi of Ngapuhi departed for what is now regarded as one of the most blood-thirsty examples of inter-tribal warfare ever seen in this country.

“The old people tell of 60 waka (canoes) being at anchor in one of these bays alone in the early days.” “And this is where they left from to embark upon the voyages down the East Coast of the North Island and into Rotorua, which were known as the Musket Wars,” Peter recounts.

“When they returned, they had 20,000 prisoners with them after raids on their traditional enemies further down the coast.”

A more recent - and very well defined - development is the 10.5 kilometre possum-proof fence which runs up sheer cliffs and across the peninsula from one side to the other, built by local iwi (tribes) and other groups in 1995 to prevent a re-infestation following a major eradication programme conducted there.

But these are but a few of the spectacular scenic highlights and historical features which go to make up the Hole Cape Experienz, which has now become the mainstay tour for this Maori tourism venture.

For those who then wish to see a different perspective on the picturesque Bay of Islands, the walk back along the peninsula is offered. This begins at the Cape Brett lighthouse, which was built in 1910 and provided a welcoming beacon and important landmark for generations of mariners before being superseded by more modern technology such as global positioning systems.

The track from the lighthouse to Manawahuna (Deep Cove) takes about three hours, with a steep walk of 149 metres from the embarkation point at sea level serving as a warm-up for the series of short but steep climbs along the balance of the track.

En route there is ample time to take in the spectacular coastal views, to soak up the tribal and European history, geography and marine biology offered by Cape Brett Walkways’ experienced guides.

There is also a chance to view Rakaumangamanga, the 362 metres high maunga (mountain) which dominates the Cape Brett peninsula. Early Maori called the peninsula Rakaumangamanga mai Hawaiiki - the branch of many tribes.

The seven distinctive peaks that mark the peninsula’s dragon-like spine are said to represent the seven waka which formed part of the migration fleet that carried early indigenous peoples from the legendary island of Hawaiiki to Aotearoa New Zealand around 1000 years ago.

This is a three hour walk which follows the peninsula’s coastline, often through native forest - including stands of nikau palms, puriri, punga and mamaku - ending at Deep Water Cove with luncheon and refreshments.

One of the highlights toward the end of the walk are the numerous holes bored deep into the track surface, evidence of the significant number of kiwi birds that now populate that area.

Matariki then returns walkers to Paihia or Russell, ending what is regarded as one of the most informative and educational ecotourism experiences available in a region where tourism is the mainstay of the economy.

In a way which is now becoming increasingly more important as time marches on, the guides of Cape Brett Walkways Ltd and Kiwi Eco Tours Ltd are preserving the local history by retelling it, time and again, just as their families did in days gone by.

That they are able to do so in such a spectacular marine environment only adds to the overall enjoyment of what is an outstanding visitor experience.

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CAPE BRETT WALKWAYS AND
KIWI ECO TOURS
P O Box 149 Russell, Bay of Islands

Phone:	+64 9 403 8823
Fax:	+64 9 403 8827
Email:	info@capebrettwalks.co.nz kiwiecotours@xtra.co.nz
Website:	www.capebrettwalks.co.nz www.kiwiecotours.co.nz