Our last day on the Cape, the road was empty and the conditions easy.

Homeward bound

We stopped often – no surprises there. There were many examples of whare whakairo, traditional carved meeting houses, and pou to admire. If you would like to know more about the art of Maori carving click here.

Te Kaha Marae

Of all the East Cape marae, Te Kaha, is one of  the most well-known. Technically marae, or meeting place, refers to the open ground in the front of the meeting house (wharenui) but the word is often used to refer to the entire complex itself.

Each marae is not only named after an ancestor, in this case Tukaki, (who has links to Kahungunu, the iwi from our region) but its structure represents the body of that ancestor, and is therefore sacred. Wandering on to a marae without an invitation is as much a social…