'A helluva walk': Mokotahi, the hill where Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford got engaged

Mokotahi, a work by artist Phyllis Simmonds, showcases the hill in its full glory.

The possibility of a New Zealand equivalent of a royal wedding in Northern Hawke's Bay seems to have barely dawned on the community where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern accepted an Easter marriage proposal from partner Clarke Gayford.

The proposal was made on Mahia Peninsula lookout Mokotahi Hill, near where the couple stay occasionally in a holiday home Gayford's parents have had at Mahia for an estimated 40 years or more.

It's also a lookout enhanced by the $150,000 upgrading of a track which for most is an energetic walk of 15-minutes or so.

"They had a helluva walk up the hill," says Wairoa District Mayor Craig Little. "He had plenty of time to think about it."

Local resident and longstanding Nuhaka School principal Nick Chapman says the first he heard of the engagement was when it was confirmed in media reports this week, although there had been some rumours "on the local grapevine".

"People have weddings in all sorts of places around Mahia," he said. "On the beach, on the rocks, on the hill, I'd say probably because they have been here and know it's such a beautiful place."

Whether Mahia can start getting out the trestles and white tablecloths in anticipation of a local wedding to beat all local weddings is not clear, Ardern having told reporters in Wellington she has no idea where or when the wedding will be, and that the couple "haven't made any plans at all".

Adults and children walk the Mokotahi Hill track, which was officially opened in February. Photo / Supplied

Another pointer to a possible Hawke's Bay venue could be significant, in that the ring — which had come from Gayford's grandmother, is of an Art Deco style.

The couple and baby Neve were in Napier for Art Deco festivities in February.

Chapman has never met the PM despite the visits in which the couple are seen around the beach, the shop, the streets and even the school galas — visits which are often pre-announced by the presence of Diplomatic Protection Squad members.

A couple of members were in close proximity when Gayford popped the question according to the PM.

A Rocket Lab launch at the nearby Mahia Peninsula. Photo / Supplied

Also in attendance were one or two locals and a dog that took a particular interest in the chocolate that Gayford had brought along.

Chapman, the school principal, who has been teaching in the area for 40 years, has Ardern's signature on one of the first letters she signed within the New Zealand Honours system, for Chapman's MNZM in the 2018 New Year Honours List.

Owned by the Ormond family for well over a century, the Mokotahi Hill land was gifted back to the community in 2002, to be administered by the QE2 National Trust, leading to the development of the popular walking track.

Mokotahi hill, in the background, looks over the popular playground that is Mahia. Photo / Duncan Brown

The track is one of the must dos in the area for many of the people attracted by Rocket Lab launches from the Mahia Peninsula.

Mokotahi Hill is particularly significant to local iwi Ngati Rongomaiwahine and the wider Ngati Kahungunu.

Rocket launches are becoming a popular draw for tourists. Photo / Duncan Brown