| Keywords |
cultural legacy, indigenous perspective, remote sensing, thermal infrared, shortwave infrared, silica, kaolinite, vegetation mapping, photogrammetry, potentiometric map |
| Abstract |
Statement of Association Geothermal resources are regarded as taonga - resources that are inherited from the ancestors and highly-prized. Among the first voyagers who came from the ancestral land, Hawaikii, to New Zealand (Aotearoa) on the Arawa waka (canoe) was the tohunga, (expert practitioner) NgÄtoroirangi. On his travels around the district, NgÄtoroirangi climbed Tongariro (volcanic mountain) to survey the whole country from its summit. As he climbed the slopes of the mountain, the cold became unbearable, almost freezing him. He called on his sisters in Hawaikii to send him fire. On hearing his call, his sisters sent two taniwha (mythical monster) underground, Pupu and Te Hoata, to bring him fire. The passage the two taniwha took, and the places where they surfaced became the connecting route of the geothermal system – from Whakaari (White Island), via Kawerau, Rotorua and TaupÅ and on to Tongariro, distributing geothermal resources in the Rotorua districts including Rotoma, Taheke-Tikitere, Waikite-Waiotapu-Waimangu, Ohaaki and Orakei-Korako. Places where surface geothermal activity was present were highly-favoured as places for settlement. All geothermal areas have traditional cultural and spiritual associations for the affiliate Te Arawa Iwi/HapÅ«. There was considerable mana associated with iwi whose lands included geothermal resources. Geothermal resources were used in various ways. Hot pools (NgÄwhÄ, puia, waiariki) provided hot water for cooking and bathing. Hot ground was used for cooking holes and ovens. Mud from some pools had medicinal properties, especially in the treatment of skin infections such as ngerengere. Paint and dyestuffs such as KÅkÅwai (red ochre) were obtained from hydrothermally altered ground. Many hot pools had well-known therapeutic qualities in the treatment of muscular disorders, rheumatic and arthritic ailments, as well as skin conditions. Some had other qualities and were known as wÄhi tapu, for example, a place for ritual cleansing after battle, or other spiritual qualities linked to medicinal or therapeutic use, or incidents of the past. Some had a tohunga associated with them. Some were burial places. Many hot pools are still regarded as wÄhi tapu, or sacred places. In the 19th Century there was a hive of tourism activity in and around Lake Tarawera and Lake Rotomahana. The people of Tuhourangi had seen the potential in geothermal activity of the lakes district, and at Te Wairoa, as an economic bastion. The beauty of the Pink and White Terraces attracted many tourists to Rotomahana to see an eighth natural wonder of the world. Even after the eruption of the three peaks – Tarawera, RuawÄhia and WÄhanga on 10 June 1886 when the Pink & White Terraces were drowned in a deepened Lake Rotomahana – affiliate Te Arawa Iwi/HapÅ« continued to utilise the geothermal resources of the Rotorua Region (Bay or Plenty Regional Council). The latest remote sensing technologies demonstrate greatly enhanced spectral and spatial resolutions, at reduced costs that promote availability. This has led to more easily obtained datasets that are of superior quality across a broader spectrum of parameters that are useful for resource management. The insights gained from these data provide a foundational scientific knowledge-base and a greater capacity for resource monitoring of both natural changes and impacts from human activities. Management of cultural properties and environmentally sensitive whenua with remote sensing indices and spatial analytical techniques can provide a range of strategies suitable for land and resource conservation. Early determination of these changes allows for easier resource management and the long-term preservation of its cultural and environmental heritage that underpin the principles of kaitiakitanga (guardianship). This paper combines the indigenous and western science perspectives of the Whakarewarewa geothermal area. The approach aims to show how the latest and innovative technologies can contribute to indigenous growth and development that foster capabilities in a culturally respectful and appropriate manner. |