Battle history holds key to tourism idea

A reconstruction of a 19th-century fighting pa is being considered by a group hoping to lure tourists to Kaikohe.

A public meeting was called at the Kaikohe RSA on recently to further discuss a proposal to build a pa as a tourist attraction in the mid-North town.

Celebration Trust director Mike Shaw said it was pleasing to see a good number of young people at the meeting, including some who had hands-on experience with the Te Hana Community Development Charitable Trust.

The trust at Te Hana, just north of Wellsford, built a replica 17th-century Maori village as well as a cultural tourism and education centre providing courses for youth from Te Hana, Wellsford and further afield.

Since the courses began two years ago petty crime had dropped dramatically, Mr Shaw said. About 130 students were attending classes in carving, weaving, horticulture, computing and radio broadcasting, with the courses facilitated by North Tec and Te Wananga o Aotearoa.

Kaikohe, too, had the potential to be a major cultural tourism centre by virtue of its central location and rich history, Mr Shaw said.

One of the ideas for Kaikohe was not to build a traditional 17th-century pa as Te Hana had done, but to reconstruct a formidable fighting pa from the 19th century.

The defences built by warrior chief Te Ruki Kawiti had never before been encountered by British troops, and the most famous fighting pa - Ruapekapeka, south of Kawakawa - was deliberately designed to lure the British deep inland from the Bay of Islands.

"This proposed tourist attraction seeks the same objective, to lure tourists inland. Tourism could become Kaikohe's next big export market, creating employment opportunities and improved social outcomes," Mr Shaw said.

However, the proposal raised practical and cultural issues which would have to be thoroughly assessed before the idea could be pursued.

Another proposal was to set up a Kaikohe tourism board to encourage and support the development of Maori cultural tourism operators in the town.