A special ceremony at the Rakaia Gorge last weekend marked the completion of a project designed to improve safety for sightseers and share the area’s Maori cultural history.

Mayor Neil Brown and deputy mayor Liz McMillan were among those to attend an official opening of a carpark, viewing platform and taniwha carving (pou) alongside State Highway 77 as it passes through the gorge.

Neighbouring farmers Donna Field and Ben Todhunter own land on the western side of the Rakaia Gorge bridge (south side) and have created a walking track from the bridge to the upper lookout carpark.

The track is designed to highlight the area’s biodiversity and history and was opened in 2018. Since then the farmers have worked with Waka Kotahi to seal the carpark, remove some large pine trees and erect a fence around the carpark.

Local carver John Reihana from Arowhenua carved a pou depicting the legend of the Rakaia Gorge taniwha and it has been erected at the lookout to watch over the area.

Interpretive panels tell the Maori legend of how the gorge was formed, the struggle between the taniwha living in the river and the north-west wind that came from the mountains.

A giant metal taniwha by Methven sculptor Hannah Kidd sits alongside the track.