7 The Promenade, Takapuna, Auckland
Takapuna Beach: Te Uru Tapu – The Sacred Grove pohutukawa
by Celia Walker
The grove of substantial pohutukawa found at the northern end of Takapuna Beach has a strong spiritual significance, as well as importance as a reminder of former, more extensive, coastal pohutukawa forests.
The sacred nature of the trees is thought to stem from their funerary role for Maori, the branches of the trees used to support wrapped bodies, enabling natural processes of decay to prepare the bones for burial. The information plaque adjacent to the trees also suggests the place marked an important waypoint, with ‘wayfarers paying tributes or placing a sprig of fern or manuka at the foot of a tree as they passed.’
In either case the trees provide a strong living connection with Maori ancestral practices. Although some trees have collapsed in recent years, and others are propped up with supports, there are plans to manage the site more effectively to ensure their survival long-term. The grove has featured in numerous postcard and photographic views of Takapuna Beach from the early 20th century, and earlier paintings including Alfred Sharpe’s watercolour Pohutukawa, near the landing place below Lake Pupuke, Takapuna from 1876, in the Auckland Art Gallery collection.
Just a little further north is the Takapuna Fossil Forest.
HALF DAY TAKAPUNA FOOD AND CULTURE TOUR FROM AUCKLAND
Image Credit: Celia Walker
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