By PAUL YANDALL
When part of Te Araroa's 130-year-old marae burned down five years ago, the community lost more than just a building.
"It was an emotional time for us," said kaumatua Roger Haerewa. "We lost a lot then, not just the marae, but also a part of our history, our pride."
Now, after five years of sweat and toil, the people of the East Cape are about to have some of that pride restored.
A grand $2 million marae complex has been built on the site of the old meeting house and will be officially opened in Easter.
Standing on top of a small hill in the heart of the town, the Hinerupe Marae will be able to feed and sleep up to 500 people.
Reconstruction of the building began two years ago and, apart from some landscaping outside the meeting house and minor carving work inside, the marae is almost fully functional.
The blaze that destroyed the previous meeting house was caused by an electrical fault, said Mr Haerewa, who is chairman of the marae trust.
He said the Easter opening would help local iwi Ngati Porou put the painful loss of the old buildings behind them.
Mr Haerewa said raising the money for the reconstruction had been difficult, and had led to several delays in getting the building finished.
Insurance provided about $1 million, but that amount again was needed to complete the project.
"That's a lot of money for a small town like this," he said.
"A lot of hard work and a lot of generosity has gone into helping."
Mr Haerewa said the original marae was built in the 1870s and was refurbished in 1923.
Many of the original carvings were lost in the fire, but carvers working in Opotiki had managed to restore or recreate a lot of the old work.
Mr Haerewa said the opening would probably be his last act as head of the marae trust.
"I'll tell you one thing, I think I've had about enough. It's been very hard work," he said.
"I think it will be time to hand the reins on to some of the younger folk. I just hope they take good care of it."
Te Araroa toils to restore pride
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.