Coast highway hikoi an emotional journey

KA RAWE: Residents of Pōtaka and others who supported Te Aorere Pewhairangi on his Waewae the 35 kaupapa greeted him at Pōtaka school to celebrate his accomplishment. Picture by Eruera Walker

A JOURNEY of highs and lows came to an emotional end for Te Aorere Pewhairangi at Pōtaka on Sunday when he completed a mission of walking State Highway 35 to raise awareness of the impact Cyclone Gabrielle is having on Tairāwhiti.
Tauranga-based Te Aorere (of Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau a Ruataupare descent) began his “Waewae the 35” hikoi with a karakia at the top of Titirangi Kaiti Hill at 7am on Monday, March 13.
By 9am he had made it to Makorori and soon after was at Whāngārā.
He stopped at townships along SH35. After Whāngārā was Uawa Tolaga Bay, then Tokomaru Akau, Ruatōrea, Te Araroa Wharekahika Hicks Bay and Pōtaka. 
It took him seven days to complete the hikoi, three days less than he expected.
Along with raising awareness about Te Tairāwhiti, he also set up a Givealittle page to raise funds for those directly impacted by the Cyclone. 
As of this morning, it had reached $98,250 from 1859 donors.
“I think I will be on the couch for the next couple of weeks but I know my wairua (spirit) is very well,” he said.
“But even though the hikoi is done, there’s a long road ahead,” he said. 
Tairāwhiti has suffered millions of dollars worth of damage from the carnage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle — damage Te Aorere wanted to see firsthand on the Coast.
He was overcome with emotion when he arrived at Maungahauini River in Tokomaru Akau.
His whānau are from the area and he recalls bathing in the river as a kid when there was no running water at his whare, so he has a strong spiritual connection to the Mangahauini. 
The sight of the devastated river brought him to tears, an experience he shared on social media.
“Māuiui whenua, māuiui taganta — if the land is sick so too are the people,” he said.
“Mentally, spiriturally, physically, socially, there was really a lot of highs and lows,” he said of his journey.  To see the support — not just from those at home but those outside of Te Tairāwhiti and internationally — behind this kaupapa helped me get through it.
“I saw that our people are very resilient, which is good and not so good because I think they shouldn’t have to be. 
“The ones in Tokomaru are still cut off. If there was more support and issues were raised sooner, things might have been done differently.
“Seeing how much people wanted their voices heard because they haven’t been heard for so long, not just weeks, months or years but generations — it gave others confidence to speak up and to show the extent of the damage. 
“And with that comes eyes and ears on this kaupapa and that brings resources, funding and support that they need. 
He didn’t have a specific fundraising goal but to reach almost $100,000 was incredible he said. 
“It shows that people do want to support and do care about us — the little people who are often out of sight and out of mind.” 
He was greeted at the finish line in Pōtaka by Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou chairman Selwyn Parata which underlined the support Ngāti Porou iwi had given him.