Ohinemuri River

Left work early this afternoon, so that I could collect Jesafly and get away from Auckland before the peak evening traffic. We have driven south to stay in a Motel in Waihi. Our other daughter (C) had come down a little earlier with S and Mr H and Young L. We are here to show my children (2 of 3) and grandchildren (2 of 4) where Grandpa comes from.

When introducing oneself in Maori culture, one gives one’s whakapapa (lineage and background). One starts by identifying which waka (canoe) one’s iwi (tribe) arrived on. My waka was the Breadlbane from Nova Scotia, arriving at Waipu in 1858. Next one identifies the important ancestors, and I will not list those here. One then states the name of one’s mountain; the mountain associated with place of birth or with home marae. My mountain is Te Aroha, and we drove to the north of Te Aroha as we crossed the Hauraki Plains to my birthplace, Paeroa. We then drove on through the Karangahake Gorge beside my river (the next identification in my whakapapa); the Ohinemuri River.

Jesfly and I stopped and we took some photographs of my river just after it emerged from the gorge on the way to the Hauraki Gulf. This was the best of my photographs of my river. We are here until Sunday.