Whenua

The Rakahuri (Ashley River) is one of the numerous rivers that flow into Te Tai o Maahunui (Pegasus Bay). The river and its associated tributaries, wetlands, and lagoons were traditionally well known for their mahinga kai values. In the evidence gathered for the 1879 Smith-Nairn Commission, Ngāi Tahu kaumātua including Wiremu Te Uki recorded Rakahuri as a kāinga mahinga kai (food-gathering settlement) where kāuru (cabbage tree root), aruhe (fernroot), tuna (eel), matamoe (shortfin eel), and pānako (spleenwort) were gathered.
Photograph: Tony Bridge