Unique playground experience created on Auckland maunga

The Whānau Ātea, a recreational space at the foot of Te Pane o Mataoho (also known as Te Ara Pueru or Māngere Mountain), brings traditional Māori elements, pūrākau, and local history alive in a unique playground experience.

By Mariana Whareaitu

Established by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, cultural practices and traditions that were once prevalent on the mountain, such as tākaro taiao (nature play) and hāngī cooking, have been integrated into the multi-functional community space.

"It was all about leading with local pūrākau and re-encouraging people to form a connection with their local maunga, to learn stories, to have a sense of place, and to come and play together as a whānau," project landscape architect Aynsley Cisaria told Te Karere.

"This is actually the first time that a traditional Māori play space and contemporary play have fused together to form one great big whānau space. A lot of whānau need an invitation to come and play, so you see something you recognise, like a swing, and then you see some other things and you go, 'oh I'll go and try that'."

The space features a māra hūpara, a playground inspired by traditional Māori play elements, and specialist Harko Brown said each māra hūpara is unique to their area.

"All māra hūpara are based on whakapapa, and not just logs and rākau you just put up any old where and call them a māra hūpara. You actually have to have a whakapapa.

"So everything here will be related to histories of the local tangata whenua, and that's the same all around the motu when we're making māra hūpara. You have to link in with the stories and collaborate with everyone of that area," Brown said.

"The process is enormous, but to get the proper mana for our playgrounds we got to do it correctly, so we rely on everyone doing their bit, and that brings back the legacies of our tūpuna for our children."

A kī-o-rahi field serves as a centrepiece of the Whānau Ātea. Kī-o-rahi is a traditional Māori ball game in resurgence.

The tradition of hāngī has returned to Te Pane o Mataoho in the form of the country's first bookable hāngī pits.

Hāngī Master Rewi Spraggon worked closely with the Whānau Ātea design team to build two, fit-for-purpose pits that can cater for more than 400 people.

He said it was the first time since the 1860s hāngī-making was practised on the mountain.

"E ngarongaro haere tēnei tikanga, nō reira te take ka tū tēnei o ngā rua, hei whakaako i ō tātou tamariki mokopuna, hei haere tonu tēnei kaupapa."