Pukaha feather cloak 'priceless'

Two years of work has begun on a unique flax and feather cloak adorned with the plumage of kiwi, hihi, takahe and other rare native birds that lived and died at Pukaha Mt Bruce.
Rangitane o Wairarapa chief executive Jason Kerehi said master weaver Carol O'Donnell had come to Wairarapa from her hometown Levin to lead a group of Masterton women in the creation of a traditional korowai. When complete, the cloak will be presented for display and occasional use at the national wildlife centre.
Mrs O'Donnell, who has a lifetime of experience creating traditional Maori garments and preparing flax fibre called muka for use in the art of taniko, said she has never before worked with such a wealth of feathers taken from native birds.
"I have seen other people working on kiwi korowai before but never this - this is very special," she said.
"When this is finished, it will be priceless."
Mr Kerehi said the women had spent the past few days plucking and washing the feathers, in the preparatory stage of a project that will take about two years to complete.
He said all the feathers had been taken from the bodies of birds - some that have been in frozen storage for years - that died at Pukaha Mt Bruce.
The 24 birds whose feathers are being used for the Pukaha korowai are in the main endemic to the ancient forest that once flourished in Wairarapa.
They include kiwi, kaka (parrot), ruru (owl), kereru (pigeon), pipiwharauroa (shining cuckoo), hihi, and takahe.
Mr Kerehi said it was a rare privilege to have a hand in the creation of such a unique korowai, particularly featuring birds like the hihi and takahe. Their populations have been built up at Pukaha and similar centres after near extinction.
"The korowai marries together what is being done out there at Pukaha with traditions and materials possibly not used by our people for 100 years."
He said the Wairarapa weavers also had an extraordinary chance to be involved with a unique project and to learn traditional weaving techniques at the elbow of a master.