At our last team hui, we paused together to give thanks and offer karakia for one of the great elders of this land - the mighty Kahikatea.
After centuries of standing watch over the valley, the wise old tree had begun its final transition.
Easily 300 to 400 years old, this rākau had stood while its whanaunga - Tōtara, Mataī, Rimu, and other Kahikatea - were taken out by selective logging. Watched as generations of people came, and went.
At the same time, it has also witnessed the renewal. People returning to plant trees beneath its sheltering limbs. Thousands of native seedlings taking root at its base. The beginning of what we now call Ancestors Grove - a living seedbank, growing with the spirit of those who came before.
As a team we walked from the yurt along the farm trail, past the paddocks full of spring lambs - past all the signs of new life.
As we passed planted areas, we reflected on how many hands have helped replant this whenua in the last few years. How many hearts have shown up for the mahi.
Eventually, we had to make the hard call. With half of the tree already recently falling down, and the remaining base no longer stable, it became a safety risk to our team and those walking the trail. So we brought in a local arborist to respectfully bring it down.
Before it fell, we stood together and spoke this karakia
Whakarongo ake au
Ki te tangi a te manu
E karanga nei, tīhei mauri ora!Kua hinga te kahikatea
I te wao nui a Tāne
He tohu mō te kaha, he tohu mō te manaE Tāne e!
Tiakina tōu ngahere,
Tiakina tōu mauri.Haere rā e te rākau rangatira,
Haere rā ki te pō.
I listen
To the call of the bird
Proclaiming the breath of life!
The kahikatea has fallen
In the great forest of Tāne
A symbol of strength, a symbol of prestige
O Tāne!
Guard your forest,
Guard its life essence.
Farewell noble tree,
Farewell into the night.
🌳 Mauri ora
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