The East Coast - New Zealand - page 575

on. More than 350 years old, 20m high and 40m wide, Te-Waha-O-Rerekohu , allegedly
NZ's largest pohutukawa tree, stands in Te Araroa schoolyard. The progressive East
Cape Manuka Company ( 06-864 4824; www.eastcapemanuka.co.nz ; 4464 Te Araroa Rd, Te
Araroa; 8.30am-4.30pm daily Nov-Apr, Mon-Fri only May-Oct) is here too, selling soaps, oils,
creams and honey made from potent East Cape manuka. It's a good stop for coffee, a
cooked breakfast or a smoothie (meals and snacks $5 to $20). Check out the busy bees at
work in the wall display. There's basic backpacker accommodation in a 135-year-old
house at Te Araroa Backpackers ( 06-864 4896; www.teararoabackpackers.com ; 57

Waione Rd, Te Araroa; dm from $25) .
From Te Araroa, drive out to see the East Cape Lighthouse , the easterly tip of main-
land NZ. It's 21km (30 minutes) east of town along a mainly unsealed road, with a
25-minute climb (750 steps!) to the lighthouse. Set your alarm and get up there for sun-
rise.

MAORI NZ: THE EAST COAST

The main iwi(tribes) in the region are Te Whanau-a-Apanui ( www.apanui.co.nz ;
west side of East Cape), Ngati Porou ( www.ngatiporou.com ; east side of East
Cape), Ngati Kahungunu ( www.kahungunu.iwi.nz ; the coast from Hawke's Bay
down) and Ngati Tuhoe ( www.ngaituhoe.iwi.nz ; inland in Te Urewera).
Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu are the country's second- and third-biggest
iwi. In the late 19th century they produced the great leaders James Carroll (the first
Maori cabinet minister) and Apirana Ngata (who was briefly acting prime minister).
Ngata, whose face adorns NZ's $50 note, worked tirelessly in parliament to or-
chestrate a cultural revival within Maoridom. The region's magnificent carved
meeting houses are part of his legacy.
Maori life is at the forefront around the East Cape, in sleepy villages centred
upon the many marae(meeting houses) that dot the landscape. Living in close
communities, drawing much of their livelihoods off the sea and the land, the
tangata whenua(local people) of the Cape offer a fascinating insight into what life
might have been, had they not been so vigorously divested of their land in the 19th
century.
You will meet Maori wherever you go. For accommodation with a distinctly Maori
flavour, consider Maraehako Bay Retreat or Hikihiki's Inn ( Click here ) . For an intim-
ate introduction to Maoritanga(things Maori), take a guided tour with Long Island
Guides ( Click here ) or Waimarama Tours ( Click here ).
For a more passive brush with the culture, visit Gisborne's Tairawhiti Museum
( Click here ), Otatara Pa ( Click here ) in Napier, and Tikitiki's St Mary's Church .