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TA Opening (2)

• 09 Dec 2011

Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown has arrived on her bike and welcomes everyone to the WCC bailiwick. The council has been good to Te Araroa . . .

Te Araroa Trust CEO Geoff Chapple divides Te Araroa’s 17-year saga into four phases. The first phase is the dream where you think it’s going to be easy. “The dream collides with reality and retires to the blood bin.” In the second phase, the project gathers a small but intensely loyal band of volunteer supporters. In the third phase the agencies like DOC and the councils come aboard. In phase four – “the agencies and the regional Te Araroa trusts have locked the trail in place, but it’s the volunteers and the walkers, and the people within the trail corridor who will now give it life.”

In her speech, DOC’s Sue Tucker pays tribute to the two Northland men who died in a helicopter crash in the north just two days before.   DOC ranger William Macrae, and helicopter pilot John “Prickles “ de Ridder had both worked on Te Araroa in the past, Willi on the track within Raetea Forest, and Prickles flying in poles for the bridges on the Papakauri Stream track. DOC has been a powerful ally of the trail, and put in a third of its distances.

The Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae steps up. Maori trails once ran the length of Aotearoa, and Te Araroa is their inheritor.

“I want to congratulate everyone who has been involved in bringing this vision to fruition,” said Sir Jerry. “To the donors and sponsors, the national and regional Te Araroa Trusts, the local councils and the central government, the thousands of volunteers and workers who got stuck in and created the track I say: good on you - well done and thank you. Together you have created a trail that literally links New Zealanders to our heritage, our land and our peoples. “

The band gives a drum roll as Far North District Mayor Wayne Brown comes online, broadcasting live from the top end of the trail.

The northern mood is solemn because of the chopper deaths. Still the sun is shining in the north and the sands are warm. Wayne Brown has been belting up and down the dunes trying to get reception on his mobile phone prior to the call, and as the conversation with Wellington unfolds, he takes his surf board onto the sand, and steps across it to open Te Araroa in the north.

He’s 1620 trail kms distant from Shorland Park and Chapple speculates that if the pulse of goodwill is to arrive at Wellington in time for the actual unveiling of the stone by the Governor-General in fifteen minutes time, it needs to travel at around 6,480 kph.

The northern goodwill is sufficient, says Chapple, to make this rate of travel seem possible.

Chapple goes on to note congratulation from the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Bibbulman, Trans Canada Trail, the Pennine Way, and and waves a sheaf of other emails. He doesn’t have time to read them all, but there’s one from a couple Matt  and Sally who were training to wallk the trail when Sally fell pregnant and the couple had to postpone. They named the new arrival Ara after the trail.

Out in the crowd Matt Wyatt holds baby Ara aloft to applause from the
crowd.

7th Battalion drummers let go another drum roll, and Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt comes on live from Stirling Point. Tim is wearing his robes and mayoral chains. He has a ribbon to cut. The 7th Battalion band strikes another drum roll,  and 1430m trail kilometres away, Tim makes that cut.

                                                                                                                ^{Pic Robyn Edie, Southland Times}

Te Atiawa are mana whenua in this southern part of the North island, and over by the veiled Te Araroa stone, a karanga sounds, calling the Governor General’s party to the stone. When the party arrives, Te Atiawa kaumatua Sam Jackson gives the karakia.

Sue Tucker, Celia Wade-Brown, Geoff Chapple and the Governor-General  lift the veil.

At Bob Harvey’s invitation, Geoff Chapple reads out the Maori blessing on the stone.

Kia tupato kia pai to hikoi             Walk the path in safety
Me te titiro whanui, kia kopa         Look deeply and learn
Ki nga taonga kei mua I a koe      From your surroundings

The Governor General, Mayor Celia, and Sue Tucker plant trees. Then Anne McLean and a grandchild plant another, in memory of  Anne's husband Denis McLean, chair of the Wellington Trust, a great walker, a diplomat, and autho,r who died in March this year,  

Geoff Chapple plants the last tree, and the ceremony is over.

                                                                                                     _{Pic Miriam Beatson.}        

 _{All other pictures except the TV snap of baby Ara and parents  are by Mark Coote}