Tapu Te Ranga Marae
The History of Tapu Te Ranga Marae is about the passion of many good people since 1974. The Tupuna Whare Pare Hinetai No Waitaha was built by young unemployed maori - some of them homeless. They needed to have a place to make a stand. It has been said she is the largest and highest wooden house built of recycled materials on wooden piles anywhere on earth.
It was designed by Bruce Stewart - all in his head because he can’t draw. Without formal training, he is a product of the kiwi 'do-it yourself' stuff. He had been influenced by architecture without architects - peasants building from local materials or what ever they could lay their hands on...combined with the principal of the theory of alchemy (making something from nothing) It grew like Topsy.
Bruce could see the local material was from the demolition of much of Wellington. He together with the young people grabbed the bits, pulled out the nails and straightened them to use again. Doors, windows and timber, much of it heart native were being pulverized and thrown into the tip. Car cases from Todd Motors were also used once and taken to the tip. They were from trees of the tropical rain forest - hardwoods. Bruce got permission to use them. He believes building, using recycled material is spiritually in tune and uplifting.
The late Stan Hyde, demolition contractor, donated considerable fittings to The Marae as did many of the people of Wellington.
The 'non-traditionalness' of design of Tapu Te Ranga has often been mentioned. Bruce found there were many Whare of non-
traditional design, some of them being Rua Kenana’s Beehive in The Urawera and Potatau Te Whero Whero’s whare at Te Awamutu.
The design shape is that of a cluster of whare grouped together representing The Mother and her children. Because it was built of recycled materials it was slow going - it has taken thirty two years. Pare Hinetai No Waitaha is 26.5 meters high...she is on ten levels...she is 27,000 square feet.
Tapu Te Ranga Marae is the full 24 hectares. Two thirds is reforestation in native plants, the remaining third is set aside for passive recreation - walks, playing, outdoor activites and gardens. We also have Noho Kainga - flats and houses for our whanau.
Pare Hinetai No Waitaha is our Tupuna Whare she has many Whare in her nine levels...these include: Tane Whaiora, Kirihika, Pare no Waitaha, Hinetai no Kuranui, U Kai Po, Aniwaniwa and Daphene There are also the special gardens Wahi Whenua and Wahi Pungarehu.
The Whare rambles up the hill on many levels - it is a strong social, environmental and artistic statement.They who build The Whare are built by the Whare' is the whakatauki (proverb).
She has been built on multi levels from recycled materials and sleeps up to 300 people. She has several kitchens, a dinning-room and ablutions. There is free parking for up to 150 cars and space for buses. There are spaces for a marquee, tents, house buses and caravans.
There are areas for passive recreation including a circular historic walk of one and a half hours up to the Pouwhenua (sculpture) on top of Maunga Kawakawa.
The Marae is ten minutes from Wellington city and only ten minutes from the International Airport. The drive from airport to The Marae is along the famous wild south coast.
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Great sense of gender personification. "She", instead of the mechanical "It". This is found in French and other European Languages. What is a car case?
ReplyDeleteAh I don't know, I actually just copied and paste it.
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