He Tangata - Profiling ‘The People’ who are making a difference

Replicating nature’s work restores life on ancestral lands

A century ago, the bubbling, steaming and exploding lands of the Wairakei Valley were one of the major visitor attractions to the Taupo area.

Travelers from around the world came as far as they could by train, then by horse or stagecoach to soak in its therapeutic waters of the small lakes and streams or simply to marvel at the boiling Earth. Or they simply wandered amid the array of coloured silicas and the bright green ferns and mosses that abounded in that area.

The geothermal electricity generation which commenced in the 1950s robbed the area of much of that landscape, with geysers and alum lakes slowing disappearing one by one.

But Jim and Raewyn Hill - with the support of Contact Energy - have begun a task of restoration, by their hand assisting the re-creation of some of the features that existed prior to geothermal energy extraction.

Their Wairakei Terraces tourism business, and associated enterprises in which they are a driving force, are providing a new reason for visitors to visit the area occupied by their ancestors for the best part of 1000 years.

The hapu of that area lived among the geysers and steam at Wairakei and both Jim and Raewyn whakapapa to that area and have a vital interest in what goes on there. The key motivation in establishing Netcor - the New Zealand Education and Tourism Corporation - in 1996 was to create employment for those of their iwi and hapu.

Today Jim and Raewyn Hill have about 30 people on their payroll, in administration, tourism guiding and entertainment, development, carving, and staffing the visitor centre. More are involved in training, the side of their business that has, they admit, provided the funds to get the tourism operation established.

The Wairakei Terraces site is a vastly different place than it was when they took up the lease of the geothermal visitor centre from Contact Energy and secured a concession from the Wairakei Tourist Park in 1996.

Jim and Raewyn Hill... justifiably
proud of what they’ve achieved at
Wairakei Terraces

Replica terraces now exist, not a reproduction of the worldrenowned Pink and White Terraces which were lost when Mount Tarawera, to the north east, erupted with devastating effect in 1886, but a home-grown example.

Early histories of the Taupo area show that there were any number of silica-covered terraces at Wairakei and that they were a major attraction for visitors well into the 20th century.

Unlike the new terraces, which have been created by man’s hand but are now covering themselves with silica naturally, the previous examples were more like cascading rock formations, onto which the brightly coloured geothermal material had attached itself.

Today, where those natural features once existed, there is a Maori village, walkways, carvings, an animal park, and an office and entertainment centre, all of which has been created from scratch in just eight years.

But the steaming geysers, so often harnessed below ground to drive turbines and create much-needed electricity, are still erupting along the trail, as they have since the beginning of time.

Jim and Raewyn Hill admit to a degree of pride in what’s been achieved in their tourism business in less than a decade.

After 20 years in tourism - in fishing charters, booking offices and retail stores, and adventure and ecotourism training - the easy-going couple are firmly entrenched in the industry and intend to continue that involvement well into the foreseeable future.

Raewyn says that while the geothermal features will always be a big attraction at Wairakei, the Maori cultural component is now beginning to take over as the aspect that draws in the crowds.

Today, Wairakei Terraces offers three tour options, with the visitor centre itself attracting around 60,000 people a year. Numbers continue to climb.

Guided tours of the village, commencing with a traditional powhiri (welcoming ceremony) in the early evening are provided by arrangement, concluding with a concert by the group Hinemauihi and a hangi meal.

A new café at the visitor centre is nearing completion and will soon be opened, all part of the overall experience Jim and Raewyn Hill set out to create in 1996.

The development of Wairakei Terraces has been a major undertaking, but has added an impressive, world-class attraction to the tourism inventory of the Central Plateau region, and has enhanced New Zealand’s overall visitor experience measurably.

WAIRAKEI TERRACES

Raewyn Hill
Tourism Manager
PO Box 1546, Taupo

Ph: +64 7 378 0254
Fax: + 64 7 378 0913
E-mail:
Website: www.wairakeiterraces.co.nz