Work to start on Guide Bella's whare

SPECIAL: The late Arthur Moke - who proposed Guide Bella's whare for listing as a wahi tupuna - in front of Te Awa i Manukau. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A Maori ancestral house "in need of dire restoration" will be getting a fresh new look over the coming weeks.

A ceremony will be held on Friday to start work the restoration of Te Awa I Manukau, Whakarewarewa Village.

Henare Walmsley from Paekiri Northcroft-Moke Whanau Trust, said the ancestral house was built for Bella Papakura by her husband Aperiama Wiari around 1925 and still stands today.

Ihapera (Isabella) Pattison Thom, who later became known as Bella Papakura or Guide Bella, was one of the most requested guides of her time, showcasing the cultural and natural wonders of Whakarewarewa to tourists from all over the world.

The year 2020 will mark 150 years since her birth in 1870 and is the target date for completion of a project designed to pay homage to her memory.

Restoration of Te Awa I Manukau, the small, carved wharepuni located next to the Moke family home at the top of Tukiterangi St in Whaka village, is seen by her descendants as an appropriate way to recognise the contribution Guide Bella made to Whakarewarewa and a reminder of her mana and prestige.

Mr Walmsley said the Trust for the wharenui and works of Bella Papakura would receive a commendation from Te Pouhere Taonga or the New Zealand Heritage Trust to recognise the important wharenui as a 'Whare Tupuna'.

"This is only the second Maori Whare taonga in the category of 'Whare Tupuna' to be recognised by Te Pouhere Taonga NZHT in this second year of the category."