The name Te Pā Tāhuna was gifted to the community by mana whenua. It celebrates their long connection with Tāhuna Queenstown. The name Te Pā Tāhuna draws on Māori traditions of ahi kā. It’s a place where the home fires always burn on the shores of Lake Whakatipu Waimāori.
He ara rau, he ara tipuna
The many pathways, the ancestral trails have led us here
He kura huna, he kura roa
A place of sacred knowledge, riches concealed
Ka rarapa te ika a Kāhue
Of glistening pounamu
He puna karikari
The many waters, formed and fashioned
He puna hauaitū
Glacial fed pools
He puna waimaria a Rākaihautū
The bountiful lakes of Rākaihautū
Te ahi kā roa o Tūwiriroa, he ahi tū roa
The long-standing fires of Tūwiriroa burn, this is our home
Te Pā Tāhuna
Tūwiriroa was a Kāti Mamoe chief who settled in the Tāhuna-Queenstown area, a region of great significance to Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe, and Kāi Tahu. For generations, iwi relied on the Central Otago Lakes area as a vital source of kai, pounamu, and other taonga (treasures), sustaining their way of life and cultural traditions.
Today, Tāhuna remains a place of connection, embodying the ancestral, spiritual, and cultural traditions of those who walked this land long before European settlement.
Ngāi Tahu artist Ross Hemera was commissioned by mana whenua to create an artwork for Te Pā Tāhuna to use as our visual identity.
The artwork represents the footsteps of the pākura, the pūkeko, or purple swamp hen, abundant around the shores of Lake Whakatipu Waimāori. The artwork also symbolises the footsteps of our ancestors over the land.
The colours in the artwork speak of the taonga of this region. The glistening pounamu, the water of the lake, the hearth fires of Tūwiriroa and Tāhuna, and the Ngāi Tahu people themselves.
The long-standing fires of Tūwiriroa burn, this is our home.
Designed & Developed by TimeZoneOne
