Whenua

Te Hakapupu Te Hakapupu (Pleasant River) rises in the hilly forested country before flowing in a generally eastward direction entering the Otago coastline between Matakaea (Shag Point) and the Waikouaiti River. The prevalent estuary situated at the river mouth has historically been a rich source of mahinga kai with extensive Māori archaeological sites situated nearby. In the evidence gathered for the 1879 Smith-Nairn Royal Commission into the Ngāi Tahu land claims, local Ngāi Tahu kaumātua Merekihereka Hape recorded that Te Hakapupu was a kāinga mahinga kai (food gathering settlement) where tuna (eels), pātiki (flounders) and īnaka (whitebait) were gathered.

Photograph: Tony Bridge