Duo off in search of Taranaki's stories

Two blokes will be journeying to the heart of Taranaki to share in the stories of the local communities they will be travelling through.

Jamie Allen, the dean of Taranaki Cathedral, and Andrew Moffat, social history curator at Puke Ariki, will travel around the region on a 10-day pilgrimage.

They will be sleeping rough and clocking up plenty of miles on Taranaki's back roads with two aims. For Andrew it's about sharing stories face to face in heartland Taranaki while for Jamie the pilgrimage is a way of reaching out to the churches and parishes in the region's Anglican community.

The pair's endurance will be tested as, starting on May 17, they travel around the mountain, beginning at Ngamatapouri in the south, travelling north as far as Urenui and finishing at Tikorangi on May 26, visiting 37 communities. Their journey in Central Taranaki will include visits to Inglewood, Stratford and Eltham on May 23, Kaponga, Whangamomona, Matau and Purangi on May 24 and Tarata on May 25.

Each day will start early and finish late, with stops in four communities along the way. Each evening they will hunker down in halls or in tents.

They're inviting locals to meet them in churches, pubs and halls and will film their movements, blog about the journey and listen to lots of stories.

Andrew, who published the book Flashback: Tales and Treasures of Taranaki last year, says Puke Ariki's heritage collection is full of treasure.

"It contains tales of triumphs, folly, inventiveness and heartbreak as well as items of rare quality and beauty." What brings the collection alive, however, is when people connect with it, he says.

"It will be great to share a little of what Puke Ariki has to offer, hear what we should be doing more of and to be reminded of how much I have to learn about Taranaki's rich history and the characters who made it happen."

Dean Jamie says the Taranaki bishopric is large with the cathedral as its mother church. But connecting with people and praying for their communities is hard unless you can picture the place and meet the locals.

Puke Ariki and the cathedral share similarities in the way they seek to connect with and resource the communities in the region. "As two points of welcome and hospitality, based in the city we delight in visitors but also we want to get out there more... and understand better how things really are in our communities and where we might work with them."

An additional part of the pilgrimage will be the chance to raise funds for Hospice Taranaki.

An anonymous sponsor will donate $50 each time seven or more people gather in one spot on the journey.

People wanting details of the route can check out www.taranakicathedral.org.nz and www.pukeariki.com.