Heritage Tairāwhiti guide Marty Reynolds points to where King’s Jetty once stood on Gisborne's Taruheru River, accompanied by fellow members Mike Eriksen (left), Sheridan Gundry and Dave Somerton. The free tour of the lower part of the Taruheru River starts at 11am Saturday. Photo / John Pennington
Heritage Tairāwhiti guide Marty Reynolds points to where King’s Jetty once stood on Gisborne's Taruheru River, accompanied by fellow members Mike Eriksen (left), Sheridan Gundry and Dave Somerton. The free tour of the lower part of the Taruheru River starts at 11am Saturday. Photo / John Pennington
Free guided tours on the last Saturday of every month will showcase the history of the Taruheru River that runs through Gisborne City.
Heritage Tairāwhiti’s tours, starting this Saturday, follow on from its successful summer season of open days at its Centre for Heritage, located in the former Plunket Buildingin Palmerston Rd, which focused on historical photographs of the Taruheru River.
Heritage Tairāwhiti deputy chair Sheridan Gundry says the Taruheru River is a prime focus for the organisation, as members continue telling stories of people and place across the district.
“The Taruheru has been a main highway for centuries of people living here,” Gundry said.
“The river runs right through the city and more than 20,000 people now live within a kilometre of it. We are based right next to the river and have a great view of it through our centre’s windows.
“We were heartened by people’s interest in the river over the summer. We think guided tours are a way for people to connect to the Taruheru, and will encourage people to learn and think about the river’s past, present and future.”
View from start of the Taruheru River, 1874, looking upriver with Wyllie Cottage (top right) built in 1872, the sole dwelling on the Whataupoko side. Photo / WFC_1-2-W23 Tairāwhiti Museum
The Taruheru, named after the scented moss that once grew prolifically along its banks, begins within Waihirere Domain and flows 14km to its confluence with the Waimatā River in the city.
“The river was a tribal boundary, an abundant source of food and other resources, and a highway between the inland reaches and the coast,” Gundry said.
“Industry developed upriver from the 1870s with breweries, a sawmill, a flour mill, the first freezing works and, closer to town, a gas works for a century until 1987. All are long gone.
“We are also working with Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails Trust as it progresses plans to extend the cycle walkway from Derby St through to Campion College.
“We have a map of the proposed route and plans for storyboards displayed within our Centre for Heritage.”
The Taruheru tours will run from the centre at 11am on the last Saturday of every month, starting on June 28. The exhibition will be open during this time - 11am until 12.30pm.
