Kia ora koutou! Ni hao! Hi there! 2002 is the Year of the ......"Nga Ara Poutama," ko te akomanga...

http://www.yearofthemountains.org.nz

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Kia ora koutou! Ni hao! Hi there! 2002 is the Year of the Mountain, and this is Ngā Maunga Kōrero � the language of mountains, the site where we can talk about why we love our mountains and why we need to look after them.

Kia ora koutou! Ni hao! Hi there! Ko 2002 te tau o te maunga, ā, koia tēnei: Te reo o Ngā Maunga � the language of mountains. Ko te pae tukutuku tēnei e kōrerorero ai tātou mō ō tātou maunga, i pupū mai i hea tō tātou aroha nui ki ēnei tūpuna.

Find out interesting facts about the mountains in our Mountain Fact File!

Teachers � download mountain-related material in PDF format from our Teacher Resource page.


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Rangitoto Part 1

'Shan' is the word for 'mountain' in Cantonese, one of the languages people speak in Asia. Alex Lam is 11 and goes to Remuera Intermediate in Auckland. He speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, another Asian language, as well as English.

"I came here three years ago from Hong Kong. This country is way different and much better. Over there you just see big tall buildings everywhere. Here there are heaps of trees and the air is fresh."

From the window of his family's apartment in Auckland City Alex can see Rangitoto, the little round mountain which is an island in the middle of Auckland Harbour. He says "I'm going there with my family this year. We'll be part of a big group of people at a picking-up-rubbish day."

Find out interesting facts about Rangitoto in our Mountain Fact File!

Check out a translation of Alex's story in Mandarin!


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Rangitoto Part 2

Rangitoto is one of the best-known mountains in the Auckland area. It was formed by a volcanic eruption hundreds of years ago. Alex says, "I really like it because of its shape. From the side it's a triangle, but if you look at it from high up in the Skytower, you can see it's really a circle."

There are no people living on this mountain and it is covered in pohutukawa trees. A few years ago these pohutukawas were nearly all dying because possums ate the young plants. The Department of Conservation sent people to get rid of the possums, and now the pohutukawas have started growing back again. Alex says, "In summer Rangitoto changes colour. From our house it looks pink from all the red pohutukawa flowers." Thousands of people go to Rangitoto every year by boat to climb its rocky slopes and look at the view from the top.

"In Hong Kong," says Alex, "all the mountains are covered in rubbish. Here we have to keep the mountains clean. So everyone who goes to Rangitoto for a picnic needs to remember to take their rubbish home with them."

Read Hautahi Kingi's story about Mt. Taranaki!

Read Nikora Ryan's story about Piripiri!

Read Catherine Doody's story about the Port Hills!

Read other kids' stories here!


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Rangitoto (Mandarin)


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Mt. Taranaki Part 1

"Ko Taranaki taku maunga Ko Nga Rauru taku iwi Ko Ngati Maika taku hapu Ko Pakaraka taku marae"

("Taranaki is my mountain Nga Rauru is my tribe Ngati Maika is my subtribe Pakaraka is my marae")

Hautahi Kingi is 14, goes to Wanganui Collegiate, and speaks Māori and English. He can see the mountain Taranaki from his house beside Pakaraka Marae in Whanganui.

"Taranaki is sacred to our iwi. My dad has taken me up there, but we'd never go right to the top because that's the head, so it's tapu.'

Check out a list of Māori words and their meanings on our Mountain Glossary page!


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Mt. Taranaki Part 2

Taranaki, tall and topped with snow in winter, is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. It is a nearly perfect cone shape, like an ice cream cone upside down.

To Hautahi, his mountain is one of his ancestors. "The raukura represents Taranaki. That's the white albatross feather that people from Taranaki wear in their hair. It's a symbol of peace. During the Land Wars the leaders Te Whiti and Tohu lived in a village called Parihaka right next to the mountain, and everyone who lived there used passive resistance to stop their land being taken ."

Over a hundred years ago the mountain became a national park, so now the whole country can enjoy this natural treasure.

The water flowing down from Mount Taranaki is what keeps the dairy farms all around the mountain green and growing. The bush growing on the sides of the mountain is the last large patch of native bush left in the whole area. Recently some whio (blue duck) were released into the park. The call they make is the same as their name � "Whio, whio".

Hautahi says it's important Taranaki stays clean and healthy. "The forest is like his clothes, and the rivers are his veins."

Find out interesting facts about Mt. Taranaki in our Mountain Fact File!

Check out a translation of Hautahi's story in te reo Māori!


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Mt. Taranaki (Māori)

"Ko Taranaki taku maunga Ko Ngā Rauru taku iwi Ko Ngāti Maika taku hapū Ko Pākaraka taku marae"

("Taranaki is my mountain Ngā Rauru is my tribe Ngāti Maika is my subtribe Pākaraka is my marae")

14 ngā tau o Hautahi Kingi, haere ai ia ki Wanganui Collegiate, he mōhio ki te kōrero i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā. Ka āhei tonu ia te kite i a Taranaki maunga i tōna whare i te marae o Pākaraka, i Whanganui.

"He tino maunga tapu a Taranaki, ki tō mātou iwi. I haere māua ko taku pāpā ki reira, engari kāore i pikia te tihi o te maunga, inā hoki tōna tino tapu."

Ko Taranaki tēnei i te hōtoke, e tū tiketike mai ana, kapi katoa ki te huka, ko tētahi o ngā tino maunga ātaahua tēnei o te ao. He koeko tonu te āhua, he rite ki te koeko aihikirīmi kua hurirapatia.

E ai ki a Te Hautahi ko te maunga tētehi o ōna tūpuna. "Ko te raukura tētehi tohu nō Taranaki. Koirā te huruhuru toroa mauria ai ngā iwi o Taranaki i ō mātou makawe. He tohu mō te maunga-ā-rongo. I ngā riri mō te whenua, noho ai ngā rangatira nei a Te Whiti rāua ko Tohu i tētehi kāinga e mōhiotia ana ko Parihaka. I te take tonu o te maunga tēnei kainga, ā, ka haere ngā mahi whakahē i runga i te ture o te rangimarie, kia kore ai e tangohia ō rātou whenua. "

Neke atu i te kotahi rau tau ki muri ka haere te maunga nei hei Rāhui ā motu, kia taea ai e ngā iwi o te motu katoa te haere mai ki a ia.

Ko ngā awa e rere iho ana i a Maunga Taranaki tētehi wāhi nui o te tupu matomato o ngā otaota i te taha o te maunga, hei kai mā ngā kau i ngā pāmu o reira. Ko te ngahere i ngā tahataha o te maunga te mutunga atu o te ngahere ake o te rohe. Inakuanei, ka tukua he whio (blue duck) ki te rāhui nui. He rite tonu te karanga a te manu nei ki tōna ingoa � "Whio, whio".

E ai ki a Hautahi he mea nui rawa atu ki a ia kia noho mā tonu a Taranaki. "He rite te ngahere nei ki ōna kākahu, ko ngā awa, anō nei ko ōna ioio toto.

Read Alex Lam's story about Rangitoto!





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Piripiri Part 1

Ko Piripiri te maunga Ko Waitohi te awa Ko Puketapu te hapu Ko Waikawa te marae Ko Te Atiawa, Ngati Kuia, Rangitane ratou ko Ngati Rarua oku iwi

Tena koutou katoa.

My name is Nikora Ryan, I'm nine and I'm in "Nga Ara Poutama," the total immersion Maori language class at Whitney Street School in Blenheim (Waiharakeke).

I've just told you my pepeha, it tells you the area that I identify with and where I'm from. It means "Piripiri is the mountain, Waitohi is the river, Puketapu is the subtribe, Waikawa is the marae and Te Atiawa, Ngati Kuia, Rangitane and Ngati Rarua are the tribes that I belong to."

I'm also partly Irish, and over in Ireland my mountain is called Galtee in County Tipperary.

Find out interesting facts about Piripiri in our Mountain Fact File!

Check out Nikora's story in te reo Māori!


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Piripiri Part 2

On fine days I can see Piripiri behind my marae. Koro George Martin told me that "A long time ago, women used to go up there and collect fragrant moss. They put it in a little kete that they hung around their necks so they would smell nice all day".

The Waitohi stream runs down from Piripiri, and many years ago the water was used in a special ceremony for the men that went away to battle. A tohunga performed the ceremony, where special prayers were said and a tree branch was waved over them and they were splashed with the sacred water from that stream. This was to bless them in case they didn't return.

There are other famous mountains near Piripiri, like Hinekoareare which looks like it has a lady's face at the top and I can see the tip of the highest mountain in my area, Tapuae-o-Uenuku. It's name means, "The sacred footsteps of Uenuku". Uenuku is one of my ancestors from a very long time ago in Hawaiiki, so it is a very special mountain.






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Piripiri (Māori)

Ko Piripiri te maunga Ko Waitohi te awa Ko Puketapu te hapū Ko Waikawa te marae Ko Te Atiawa, Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne rātou ko Ngāti Rārua ōku iwi

Tēnā koutou katoa.

Ko Nikora Ryan tōku ingoa. E iwa ōku tau, kei roto au i "Nga Ara Poutama," ko te akomanga rūmaki tērā i te kura o Whitney Street i Waiharakeke (Blenheim).

Ko taku kōrero i runga ake nei ki a koutou he pēpeha, e whakaatu nei i te rohe nō reira nei au, nō hea ahau. E kī ana te pēpeha nei ko "Piripiri te tino maunga e pā ana ki ahau, ko Waitohi te tino awa, ko Puketapu te hapū, ko Waikawa te marae, ko Te Atiawa, ko Ngāti Kuia, ko Rangitāne, me Ngāti Rārua ngā iwi e whai pānga nei au."

Ko tētahi wāhi ōku nō te iwi Airihi, ko taku maunga i reira ko Galtee i County Tipperary.

I ngā rā paki ka kite atu au i a Piripiri i muri tonu i taku marae. Ka kī mai a Koro Hōri ki ahau " I ngā rā o mua haere ai ngā wāhine ki reira ki runga i te maunga ki te kimi i te kohuhoku kakara. Ka takaia ki te hei, ki te kati, i ō rātou kakī, nā, kua rere mai te kakara mō te roanga o te rā.

Ka heke mai te awa o Waitohi i Piripiri, ā, i ngā rā o mua he wai tohi i ngā tamatoa o ngā ope taua tēnei. Mā te tohunga anō ēnei whakaritenga, māna ngā karakia, ka piua te rau rākau ki runga i a rātou, ka uwhiuwhia ki te wai tapu o taua awa. Hei tohi i a rātou, i te mea, tērā pea e kore e hoki mai.

Arā atu ngā maunga rongonui āhua tūtata ki a Piripiri, pērā i a Hinekōareare. He rite ki te kanohi wahine i te tihi tonu. Ka kitea atu hoki te tiki o te maunga teitei rawa o tōku nei rohe o Tapuae-o-Uenuku. Ko te tikanga o tēnei ingoa ko ngā tino tapuwae o Uenuku. He tupuna nōku a Uenuku, nō Hawaiki mai, nō tua whakarere, nā reira he tino maunga tēnei.

Find out interesting facts about Piripiri in our Mountain Fact File!



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Port Hills Part 1

"When I look at the Port Hills, I think about how our ancestors came out to New Zealand and walked here over the hills. Especially the nuns in the big black and white uniforms they used to wear. It must have been quite a hard walk for them, not knowing where they were going to on the Canterbury Plains."

Catherine Doody is in Year 10 at Catholic Cathedral College in Christchurch. From her school she can see the Port Hills, a range of hills between Christchurch city and Lyttelton Harbour.

"They are green, cool hills which look quite beautiful when the sun goes over them. You can walk to the top in about three hours and it's an amazing sight . You an see all of Christchurch from there. It's a very welcoming sight at night."

Find out interesting facts about the Port Hills in our Mountain Fact File!



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Port Hills Part 2

The Port Hills remind Christchurch people like Catherine of how the first Pakeha settlers arrived in the city. They came on ships to Lyttelton Harbour, then travelled over the hills on foot because there were no roads in those days.

"The hills would have all been covered in bush and trees and native birds and it must have been quite a nice sight for them, but they also thought it would make excellent farmland."

The settlers cut down the bush for sheep farming, so today the hills are mostly covered in grass. Catherine's school has been going up there to replant young native trees. She says, "I think we should try and put back what used to grow there. Then birds like the takahe would come back. That's my favourite bird."

These days you can walk or cycle up the Bridle path used by the early settlers or take a gondola ride from Heathcote to the summit, where you can look out over the Canterbury Plains and into Lyttleton Harbour.

Catherine thinks having native trees on the hills again will make them even more beautiful.

"In years to come the Port Hills will be an extremely good place to visit," she says. "You'll still have all the old history, and the new native birds and trees. It will be an awesome sight. I hope my grandchildren will see that."






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Mountain Fact File

Name: Rangitoto

Height: 260m

Location: Auckland

Age: ca. 1400AD (formed about 600 years ago)

The name Rangitoto is derived from the phrase "Te Rangi i totongia a Tamatekapua � the day the blood of Tamatekapua was shed".

Rangitoto has remained a place of considerable significance to Māori and is considered wahi tapu (a sacred place).

Around 200 species of native trees and flowering plants, 40 kinds of fern and several orchid species grow on Rangitoto.

An alpine lichen usually found high in the mountains grows at sea level on Rangitoto.

Mangroves which usually grow in the mud of tidal estuaries are also found here growing directly on lava.

The most dominant tree is the pohutukawa and Rangitoto has the largest remaining pohutukawa forest in New Zealand.

There is 1.6 million cubic metres of lava in Rangitoto � enough to fill 320 Olympic sized swimming pools!

Rangitoto is the largest, most recent and least modified volcano of the Auckland Volcanic Field. It forms a near symmetrical cone at the entrance to the Waitemata Harbour.

The Auckland Volcanic Field is made up of monogenetic volcanoes which means it is unlikely that Rangitoto or any of the existing volcanoes will erupt again. The next eruption will probably occur in a new location.

Its walking tracks and picnic spots make Rangitoto a very popular visitor destination.


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Name: Mt Taranaki

Height: 2,518m

Location: North Island

Volcanic status: dormant

Most recent eruption: none on record ( based on geological evidence it is thought that an eruption occurred in 1755)

Taranaki is linked by legend to the mountains of the central North Island. It is said that Taranaki carved out the bed of the Whanganui River on a tragic flight from its ancestral home to the east. Today Taranaki is still venerated and its summit is sacred to the tangata whenua of the area.

The mountain is the source of over 50 rivers and streams.

Many bird species can be found in the forests surrounding the mountain.

The nature surrounding Taranaki changes the higher you go on the mountain � from tall rimu and kamahi trees at lower altitudes through dense subalpine shrubs to an alpine herbfield with some plants unique to the park.

The forest on Mt Taranaki's middle slopes is sometimes known as 'Goblin Forest' because of the gnarled shape of the trees and the thick swathes of trailing moss.

In good weather it is a challenging climb for fit and well prepared climbers. If you want a more relaxing experience there are beautiful walks through the forest to waterfalls, wetlands, and excellent viewpoints.


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Name: Piripiri

Height: 970 metres

Location: Picton (Waitohi)

Piripiri is the highest hill you can see when you are in Picton.

It is covered in native forest and sometimes gets a sprinkling of snow.

The Waitohi iwi associate with Piripiri.

Its waters feed the Waitohi catchment and form Picton's water supply .

Piripiri is the name of a scented moss which is found in the highlands of Piripiri. This moss was used by the local Māori women as a scent together with another plant known as Taramea. Once two local hunters were sitting down on this moss "Piripiri" when they both noticed a beautiful scent. They accused one another of wearing their wife's perfume!

Name: Port Hills

Height: 502m

Location: vertical set of mountains between Christchurch and the deep water port at Lyttleton

The Christchurch Port Hills feature in the legendary travels of Tamatea, Te Rangiwhakaputa, and Te Rauparaha.

The hills provided shelter, fuel, and handy lookout points for early explorers, sealers, whalers, traders, missionaries, and surveyors.

After disembarking at Lyttelton Harbour, early immigrants travelled by foot over the Port Hills to their destination Christchurch. This historic path, called the Bridle Path, is a popular walking track today.


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The Port Hills are a popular destination for walkers, climbers, horse trekkers, hang-gliders, and mountain bikers.

A complete traverse of the Port Hills can be made via Harry Ell's visionary Summit Walkway.

A critically endangered little button daisy called Leptinella nana (common name Pigmy button daisy) is only found in three sites in New Zealand, the largest of which is on the Port Hills.


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Your Mountain Story

Hey! We would love to publish your 'Mountain Story'!

Follow these easy steps to get your 'Mountain story' published on this website!

Step 1: Get written permission (to publish your story and pictures on the internet) from your parent/caregiver.

Step 2: Give your written permission to your teacher.

Step 3: Check that your story has no more than 200 words.

Step 4: Check that any images you send us (of you and/or your mountain) are JPEG files, 100Kb or less.

Step 5: Include:

• your full name, • your teacher's name, • the name of your school.

Step 6: Ask your teacher to email your story and pictures to us at: [email protected]

Step 7: Keep checking out this website to see your work "live" on the world wide web!

Step 8: Congratulations you're an 'online author'!






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More Mountain Stories

Other Kiwi kids' mountain stories will soon be posted on this page. If you wish to send us your story or your students' stories please read the instructions on the "Your Mountain Story" page.


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Māori Glossary

Iwi Bone, stone of fruit, race, people,

nation, strength

Kete Basket, kit, bag

Korero Tell, say, conversation

Koro Several meanings �

• desire, intend; • noose; • bay/cove; • loose/slack; • old man; father; • a term of friendly address to

an adult male

Marae Meeting areas of whanau or iwi, focal point of settlement, central area of village and its buildings, courtyard

Maunga Mountain

Mihi Greet, admire, respect, congratulate

Pepeha/peha A set form of words, charm, proverb, witticism

Raukura Feather, plume, a fish

Tapu Sacred, forbidden, confidential, taboo

Tohunga Skilled person, expert, specialist, priest, artist

Find out interesting facts about the mountains in our Mountain Fact File!


Kia ora koutou! Ni hao! Hi there! 2002 is the Year of the ......"Nga Ara Poutama," ko te akomanga...

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Transcript of Kia ora koutou! Ni hao! Hi there! 2002 is the Year of the ......"Nga Ara Poutama," ko te akomanga...