Exploring the history of Ngāi Tahu within Ōtautahi.

In week 9 and 10 of Term 3, Year 7 kaupekas, as part of their Tūrangawaewae me te Kaitiakitanga / Place and Environment unit of learning, explored the history of Ngāi Tahu within Ōtautahi with a city hīkoi.

This was a walk that took us around the city to find, look at and learn about some cool stuff. This cool stuff involved lots of important sites that tell stories of mana whenua within the city.

During our hīkoi, we visited several places, starting with Tākaro ā Poi/Margaret Mahy Playground. From there, we made our way to Tūranga Library, then to Victoria Square where we explored sites that included a 6m carved poupou, a kanakana table (kai table) with a karakia on it for blessing food and we also looked at one of the whāriki/woven mats on the ground.

We stopped for lunch at Te Pae/Convention Center before heading over to the Bridge of Remembrance, a significant historical landmark. Finally, we made our way to the hine-pāka/bus exchange to look at a 10m etched compass and returned to the Margaret Mahy Playground.

A highlight from our stop at Tūranga Library was learning about the whale rider Paikea and seeing the design on the outside wall that shows Paikea on a whale. This made us think about what it would be like if we were a whale rider. Also, learning about the outside design of the library was interesting. The metal cladding represents the hills of Ōtautahi and also looks like long harakeke (flax).

Following the Ōtakaro/Avon River as part of this hīkoi was enjoyed and another favourite part of the hīkoi was our time at Tākaro ā Poi/Margaret Mahy Playground with our friends. We learned lots of new information, spent great time with friends and now have stories to share with family and friends.

Contributors: Cody, Sefa, Jacob (Room 8)