Waharoa opened at Wopwops park
Yet another stage has been completed in Norsewood’s Wopwops Wetland Park with the official opening of its new waharoa — gateway arch — on Thursday April 5.
Created out of a weedinfested swampy back paddock at New Zealand Natural Clothing since 2010, this wetland park has been the inspiration of the factory’s owner Phil Grant and master carver Jeff Bryan.
Built around the concept of a sanctuary for longfinned eels which inhabit the stream running through the property, a huge amount of work and time has been invested by many people to create a natural attraction for Norsewood.
Mr Grant said there needed to be something to get some of the 10,000 vehicles daily off SH2 and into Norsewood, and the eco-park is starting to do that.
The waharoa encapsulates the natural and cultural connections which make Norsewood unique.
Jeff Bryan uses a Maori migration energy design called patikitiki to reflect the migrations of the eels born in the creeks to their breeding grounds in the Pacific and return, migrations of Maori to New Zealand and the migrations of Scandinavian and other European groups to the country.
With its centrepiece carved out of 1200-year-old swamp totara and the rest from other totara recently made available, the waharoa has taken Jeff five weeks over six months to complete, and a crowd of more than 50 marvelled at his talent.
Deputy Mayor Allan Benbow congratulated everyone involved for their vision and determination in creating the facility.
The visitors also inspected the developments in tracks, bridges and plantings which havebeen made in recent months. Jeff Bryan’s sister AnnaMarie Bryan, a landscape designer, has settled in Norsewood and is as determined as Jeff to see the wetland progress.
“It is amazing that it just takes a conversation to begin the process which brings a vision to completion like this,” David Trim, Trustee of the KuiKui Charitable Trust which manages the Wopwops Wetland Park said.