Whakapapa.

Heather talks to our walking group about her whakapapa and local history.Whakapapa is the  Maori word for family tree. Heather is part Scottish,part Maori. Her Scottish ancestors arrived about 100 years ago,her maori ancestors arrived about 800 years ago.We walked over her ancestral land which has always been owned by her family. Situated near a harbour there are just scattered farms now. 200 years ago there were some 2000 maori people who grew flax,wheat,oats and sweet potatoes. These crops were transported to European settlements by the schooners which came into the harbours along the coast.