Ruapehu, Whanganui and Rangitikei: 'Te Kahui Tupua'
The Maori of Ruapehu, Whanganui and Rangitikei named the area ‘Te Kahui Tupua’, the sacred peaks. It is a spiritual land, presided over by vast mountains and woven together by three sacred rivers of Maori legend: the Whanganui, Whangaehu and the Rangitikei.
Te Kahui Tupua tells many stories; the giant, Mt Ruapehu, the rivers and forests, and ancient Maori carvings and rituals that convey the legends of a land and its people.
The landscape of Te Kahui Tupua ranges from the triumvirate of volcanoes, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, to the forest gorges etched by the Whanganui, Rangitikei and Whangaehu rivers.
At the foot of Ruapehu is the Bayview Chateau Tongariro. Built in 1929, the neo Georgian-style Chateau is the only New Zealand hotel within a World Heritage Park and has its own National Heritage Status. On the hotel’s doorstep is Ruapehu’s northern skifield, Whakapapa.
The Powderhorn Chateau sits in central Ohakune, gateway to the Tongariro National Park. This boutique hotel, close to the Turoa skifield on Ruapehu’s southwest slopes, is a hive of activity during the winter and a relaxing retreat in summer.
The mountains, forests and rivers of Te Kahui Tupua provide a haven for both thrill-seekers and more sedate adventurers.
In winter and spring, the slopes of Mt Ruapehu and the world-renowned fields of Whakapapa and Turoa, offer visitors skiing and snowboarding opportunities. Nearby, the Rangitikei River can be travelled by raft, jetboat or kayak.
Within Te Kahui Tupua lie three National Parks: Whanganui, Egmont and Tongariro. Amongst the Tongariro National Park is the Tongariro Crossing, a 17km hike known as the best one-day walk in New Zealand. The crossing passes through meadows, over volcanic terrain along the slopes of active volcanoes, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, past springs, steaming vents and lakes.
Deep in the Whanganui National Park is the Bridge to Nowhere Lodge, reached by jetboat, canoe, helicopter or tramping.
Jet boats can take visitors through gorges forested with native plants and trees to the Mangapurua Landing. A walk over the historic Bridge to Nowhere leads into the ‘Valley of Abandoned Dreams’, once a settlement for returning WW1 soldiers, now regenerating forest.
The Bridge to Nowhere tours are part of the Journeys on the Whanganui co-operative, offering visitors accommodation and adventure activities on and along the river. Journeys on the Whanganui tours interpret the history and the relationship between the river and its people through walks, jet boating and paddling the Whanganui National Park basin, one of the largest remaining areas of untouched lowland forest in the North Island.
Maori have kept an intense spiritual connection with the land. At Koriniti Marae on the banks of the Whanganui River, Maori tell the legends of their ancestors through carving, weaving and storytelling. A trip in a waka (Maori canoe) illustrates the close relationship local Maori have with the river.
The Hikoi ki Paerau (a walk into the distance) ventures to the mountain Aorangi, on the banks of the Rangitikei River. The guided hikes are a joint venture between the River Valley Lodge and the Aorangi Awarua Trust, who represent the Maori landowners of their sacred mountain. These families can trace their whakapapa (ancestry) to Maori explorer Tamatea Pokai Whenua (Tamatea who explored the land). The day treks into 5,000 hectares of Maori ancestral land and teaches visitors about native flora and fauna, Maori traditions and the spiritual connection with the land.
The beauty and legend through Te Kahui Tupua are inspiration for the region’s painters, sculptors, writers and craftspeople. The Whanganui Regional Museum is home to taonga Maori, the ancestral treasures of the river people in the forms of art and story.
He pukenga wai, he nohoanga tangata, he nohoanga tangata, he putanga korero: where there is water, people settle, and where people settle, legends unfold.
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