Te Puia will stop taking visitors to The Blueys, which are regarded as off-limits by the local iwi, after a public backlash. Photo / Waimanea Nuri
Te Puia will stop taking visitors to The Blueys, which are regarded as off-limits by the local iwi, after a public backlash. Photo / Waimanea Nuri
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Te Puia is under fire for allowing tourists to swim in thermal pools local iwi regard as sacred taonga and off-limits.
One local woman was so angry she warned: "Don't dip your balls in our waters."
The anger erupted after a photo of overseas TV presenters swimming in The Blueys was posted on social media.
Te Puia, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua, said it had taken tourists to The Blueys and allowed them to swim there after the pandemic struck - but had now stopped doing that.
The Blueys has been off-limits from generation to generation due to its taboo status. However, for the Tuhourangi-Ngāti Wahiao people, this pool has been treasured for generations. It is the legacy and life source of the Whakarewarewa village and is a sacred taonga.
Te Puia's move to stop tours on the terraces and in The Blueys follows criticism by residents of Whakarewarewa Village over a photo of the overseas TV presenters.
A photo of them was posted on social media after a "post-lunch" swim in The Blueys.
However, Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao said swimming and other activities in The Blueys were barred and had been for generations. It was also a safety measure given the pool's proximity to the Pōhutu geyser and fumaroles.
Chanz Mikaere of Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao was infuriated by the photo, reacting on social media: "Kaua e tautau ō koutou raho i o mātou wai (don't dip your balls in our waters)."
"So much is compromised and made to fit the visitors' experience," she posted.
"They already get access to enough, in fact, too much.
She said, in her view: "Using images of this particular taonga misinforms tourists and gives the perception that it is open for anyone to access."
Mikaere said the fact tourists had been allowed to visit The Blueys was upsetting.
"One of my cousins was saying that her blood was boiling like the Korotiotio [a famous hot pool], and I agree with that!"
She said despite the turbulence in The Blueys, she hoped the waters would stay calm.
Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao descendant Ringahora said The Blueys was not a swimming pool. Instead, it was a treasure passed down through generations.
"Would you appreciate me coming into your home and helping myself into your cupboards to eat? It is exactly what you are doing here if you're stepping on, or going onto, private property."
Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao descendant, Ringahora said The Blueys was not a swimming pool, it was a treasure passed down through generations. Photo / Waimanea Nuri
Tuhourangi-Ngāti Wahiao descendant Ngamoni Huata said, in her opinion, the use of the pools failed to acknowledge its history and importance in the area.
"In my time, we might have gone there, but it was very rare. My kuia always told us not to go there, and we always listened, but the tourists these days won't."
She said her kuia understood the land, where to cook food and what the weather would be just by looking and smelling the area.
"Times have changed, timelines are different, and no one will ever understand that. It is the need to keep the tourists away."
Eraia Kiel, general manager New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, at Te Puia. Photo / Stephen Parker
Te Puia general manager Eraia Kiel acknowledged tourists had been taken to The Blueys and been allowed to swim there.
"When Covid-19 hit, we had to re-invent some of our offerings for our local visitors," Kiel said.
He was aware of the sensitive nature of the area and said with the return of international visitors, Te Puia would no longer take tourists to The Blueys.
A subsequent post on Te Puia's Facebook page on August 2 stated the health and safety of its team, manuhiri, and whenua had always been front of mind.
"Our long-established processes include daily visual checks and record-keeping of all areas accessible by the public.
"However, as we welcome back international manuhiri and demand for experiences at Te Puia has increased, access to areas such as the geyser plateau, including The Blueys, has ceased," the post states.
