Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
After the Land Wars, confiscation of tribal lands was the central problem faced
by Taranaki Maori, and under Te Whiti's leadership a new approach to this issue
was developed: resisting European settlement through nonviolent methods.
When the government started surveying confiscated land on the Waimate plain
in 1879, unarmed followers of Te Whiti, wearing the movement's iconic white feath-
er in their hair and in good humour, obstructed development by ploughing troughs
across roads, erecting random fences and pulling survey pegs. Many were arrested
and held without trial on the South Island, but the protests continued and intensi-
fied. Finally, in November 1881 the government sent a force of over 1500 troops to
Parihaka. Its inhabitants were arrested or driven away, and the village was later de-
molished. Te Whiti and Tohu were arrested and imprisoned until 1883. In their ab-
sence Parihaka was rebuilt and the ploughing campaigns continued into the 1890s.
In 2006 the NZ government issued a formal apology and financial compensation
to the tribes affected by the invasion and confiscation of Parihaka lands.
Te Whiti's spirit lives on at Parihaka, with annual meetings of his descendants
and a public music-and-arts
Parihaka International Peace Festival
held early
each year. For more info see
www.parihaka.com
.
Opunake
POP 1335
A summer town and the surfie epicentre of the 'Naki, Opunake has a sheltered family
beach and plenty of challenging waves further out.
Dreamtime Surf Shop
( 06-761
7570;
www.opunakesurf.co.nz
; cnr Tasman & Havelock Sts; surfboards/bodyboards/wetsuits per
half-day $30/20/10;
9am-5pm, closed Sun Jun-Aug)
has internet access and surf-gear hire.
Sleeping
Opunake Beach Holiday Park
HOLIDAY PARK $
( 0800 758 009, 06-761 7525;
www.opunakebeachnz.co.nz
;
Beach Rd; campsites/cabins/cot-
tages $38/70/105; )
Opunake Beach Holiday Park is a mellow spot behind the surf
beach. Sites are grassy, the camp kitchen is big, the amenities block is cavernous and the
waves are just a few metres away.
Opunake Motel
& Backpackers
MOTEL, HOSTEL $
(
06-761 8330;
www.opunakemotel.co.nz
; 36 Heaphy Rd; dm/s/d/f from $30/95/110/130;
)
On the edge of some sleepy fields, Opunake Motel & Backpackers is a low-key, back-
