Lady on the rock.....

.....the bronze statue atop Turuturu Rock lies at the mouth of the Whakatane River and commemorates the bravery of Wairaka and the daughter of Toroa, captain-navigator of the Mataatua waka.

When the Mataatua waka first arrived at Whakatane after making a voyage from Ngati Awa's ancestral homeland of Hawaiki 600 years ago, the men left the women alone in the canoe while they went ashore. When the canoe started to drift back to sea, Wairaka (defying the tapu that forebade women to handle a canoe) seized the paddle and brought the waka back to shore crying, 'Kia Whakatane au i ahau' - I will act the part of a man.' This cry is the origin of the town's name.

Friday.....an all kinds of weather day, mostly cloudy, amazing skies with pockets of sun at times, windy and cold being winter, nice to be visiting some old haunts in my hometown with mum and hubby by my side.

PS: A backblip from winter last year, enjoying reliving our trip to the North Island as these blips go up.