23 October 2025
Te Ikaroa a Rauru, the ancestral waka which brought our tipuna Maia Poroaki from Hawaiki to Turanganui-a-Kiwa, has been acknowledged through the naming of a new walkway bridge in Turanga.
The official opening to the public was held this morning at Te Whare Wananga o Puhi Kai Iti - just past Te Pa Eke Tu. Karakia was delivered by Tumanako Kururangi and the mihi whakatau by Uncle Albie Gibson.
Te Ikaroa a Rauru, also known as the 1000 year Walkway Bridge, is part of the Gisborne District Council’s Navigation Tairawhiti project.
Ngati Oneone has worked in partnership with the council on this project for several years, which included the installation of the Te Maro landmark at Ruatanuika on Titirangi Maunga, and the upgrade of the landing site now known as Te Whare Wananga o Puhi Kai Iti.
The bridge has been fashioned and adorned to resemble a waka through the artwork of Uncle Nick Tupara. It is a continuation of his mahi which is also seen in Te Whare Wananga o Puhi Kai Iti and Te Maro.
Maia Poroaki is a central figure in our navigational stories in Turanga. This part of the project has brought together elements that Maia is renowned for. Such as his waka Te Ikaroa a Rauru, which landed nearby. As well as his house of learning, Te Whare Wananga o Puhi Kai Iti, which he established in this location.
Ngati Oneone chairperson Aunty Charlotte Gibson says the project is “a visual reminder and a reference point for storytelling of the navigational history of the first peoples of this land.”
“Finishing this work completes our commitment to completing the upgrades to Te Whare Wananga o Puhi Kai Iti, and we’re very pleased with the overall result.”
The pedestrian bridge is set above Kaiti Beach Road and connects the landmarks of Te Whare Wananga o Puhi Kai Iti and Titirangi Maunga, returning views to the moana and Te Kurī a Pāoa.
Mayor Rehette Stoltz acknowledged the journey to completion, thanking Ngāti Oneone for their guidance and partnership, our funders, Lotteries Significant Projects Fund ($3.1m) and Trust Tairāwhiti ($343k) and the many contractors, designers, artists and Council staff who helped bring this taonga to life.
“We’re so proud to deliver the bridge in the right way, complete with the narrative of mana whenua – it has always been more than a pedestrian bridge – it’s a legacy that connects our people, our place, and our past to the future.”
“Ngā mihi mahana, we acknowledge the patience of the community and commitment of everyone who made this possible.”
Storyboards will be installed at Te Ikaroa a Rauru and Te Maro in the coming weeks.
Photo: Albie and Charlotte Gibson and Mayor Rehette Stoltz thanked all those involved in completing this significant project.
Photo: The completed puhoro (spiral designs) and rauawa (boards along the waka sides) bring the bridge to life, completing its form and meaning.