Whanganui iwi expect the title of Pakaitore/Moutoa Gardens to come back to them, Mariana Waitai told a group yesterday.
She was the "lunchtime entertainment" for this year's Tira Hoe Waka - people descended from the iwi, who paddle the river and hear its stories in an organised group every January. They started the journey at Maungarongo Marae in Ohakune on January 5.
This year, there were about 130, Hayden Potaka said - some paddling and some joining them by road. They finish with evaluations and farewells at Putiki Marae today.
Stopped at Pakaitore/Moutoa Gardens, some sprawled out on the grass to listen to Ms Waitai, while many young ones cooled off by swimming from the Union Boat Club pontoon. Ms Waitai told them about some of the gardens' landmarks.
She expected the title of the land to come back to the tribe, and for it to be managed by the new Nga Tangata Tiaki Trust.