Poupou ready for unveiling

Te Rununga o Ngati Rehia has marked its relationship with the land, Kerikeri and the Far North District Council in a graphic and traditional presentation of two poupou at the northern and southern entrances to the new Kerikeri Heritage Bypass.

The poupou were blessed at a ceremony at Kerikeri on Friday and transported to the bypass site ready to be erected.

Carved locally from totara logs recovered from the bypass route during the early construction stages, the poupou will stand over six metres tall to mark Ngati Rehia's special relationship with the project and the community.

The poupou will be erected this week but will remain covered until the bypass is ready to take traffic. A date for the unveiling has still to be determined.

The taonga were carved by Rameka Reweti and Hemi Rihari in consultation with the late Remarie (Ray) Kapa.

The poupou acknowledge the goodwill developed in the course of the bypass project, Ngati Rehia's associations with the land and the integration of the community in the post-European development of the area.

The poupou project was funded with the assistance of the Far North District Council, Eastern Community Board and the local business community.

A number of Maori artifacts recovered during earthworks on the bypass route are still being preserved and will be returned to Ngati Rehia when the process has been completed.