Maerewhenua Rock Art Site
We, the Ngāi Tahu Whānui, the descendants of Kahui Tipua, Rapuwai, Hawea, Waitaha, Mamoe, and Tahu,
The kaitiaki, the guardians of this place,
Welcome you to Maerewhenua
Nau Mai!
Haere Mai!
You have stopped along the path of our ancestors
Here you will see some of the treasures they have left for us
KI UTA KI TAI — HE ARA TAWHITO
From the mountains to the sea — an ancient pathway
Maerewhenua is a significant landmark in the traditions of Ngāi Tahu Whānui.
The rock shelter you can see lies within an ancient food gathering region that follows a pathway that links the mountains and the sea, along the Waitaki River.
The headwaters of the Waitaki River are fed from ka roimata o Aoraki — the tears of Aoraki — the ancestral mountain of Ngāi Tahu Whānui.
Maerewhenua is a physical reminder of our many ancestors who have passed through this landscape. This land provided shelter, sustenance, and guidance to our people.
Maerewhenua is a place to share knowledge, a place to learn from, and a repository of people and treasures from the past. Maerewhenua is a gift from our ancestors, to be passed on to all our descendants.
M Ō TĀTOU, Ā, MŌ KĀ URI Ā MURI AKE NEI
For us and our children after us
Rock Art is part of the heritage of New Zealand. The rock art that remains here at Maerewhenua is extremely vulnerable to changes in the environment. Erosion, wind-borne dust, animal rubbing and modern development in the area have all contributed to the deterioration of the art works.
Human activities ranging from graffiti damage, to drawing over the art with modern products all threaten the survival of the art work, and the fencing has been installed to help protect the art.
The drawings that remain at Maerewhenua are a taonga – a treasure of this area, providing a tangible link to earliest inhabitants of this land.