Huge canoe sculpture proposed in $18m Bluff Hill visitor plan
A proposed 25-metre taurapa on Motupōhue/Bluff Hill will be visible from the Bluff township and function as a beacon of the Southland landmark’s cultural significance.
The canoe sternpost sculpture is the centrepiece of a proposed $18 million visitor experience plan for the hill.
The development, led by Te Rūnaka o Awarua, will include an interpretation centre, a sculpture trail and a walking track.
Te Rūnaka o Awarua trustee Dean Whaanga said that for mana whenua, south was up and north was down, meaning Motupōhue was the true top of the country.
“It’s only fitting that we have a worldclass visitor experience here,” he said.
The proposal for the site shows two pou representing tūpuna (ancestors) flanking the existing roadway to the summit to convey the significance of the site.
A new car park, an interpretation centre and walking tracks are part of the plan.
Known as Te Taurapa o Te Waka – Motupōhue Visitor Experience, it would also include a sculpture trail with a largerthan-life-size puka (anchor).
The rope of the puka would wind its way to the summit, where the broken waka of Aoraki would be represented.
The next step in the process was to create a business feasibility and fundraising strategy.
A co-ordinated plan for Bluff was identified as being crucial within the Murihiku Southland Destination Strategy 2023-29 launched in September by Great South, the region’s development agency.
It also aligned with the New Zealand Aotearoa Government Tourism Strategy launched by the previous government in May 2019.