Waitī

30mm x 10mm;

 

When considering the future provision of the fresh waterways, Māori would watch Waitī in Matariki.

My dad used to take us eeling when we were young. As an old scout leader, dad was very knowledgeable of the outdoors. There was a creek in a small place called Clevedon that we would go to, it was the same place dad taught us how to find good hangi stones. We would go on dusk so we could find a good spot and then wait for the evening to set in. There were so many small tips and techniques dad showed us, right down to frying the eel in butter once it was cleaned!
How innocent those days were, how precious the memories.
The fresh water rivers of Aotearoa will always remind me of those times, the quiet of the evenings as we caught eels, and the sweet sound of the flowing creek.