Te Wāhi Whakatā a te Whānau
Ko ngā Taapapa Rongoā porowhita te wāhi tuatahi i hangaia i runga i te Ara Rongoā.
He wāhi tēnei e hono ana i te ao kikokiko me te ao wairua, ā, e kitea ana i roto i ngā taonga kōhatu whairo me ngā nohoanga hāneanea.
Kua whanui te wāhi maara whānau ki te whai wāhi atu ki te ara tomokanga ki Te Ao Marama (Maternity Ward).
E karapotia ana ngā pou whakairo e ngā tupu māori, ngā putiputi, me ngā rākau rongoā pērā i a Kumarahou, Koromiko, Kawakawa, Rengarenga me Kopakopa, me ngā tupu rongoā o te Pākehā, pēnei i te rāhipere.
Ko ngā tupu puāwai e whakaataahua ana i te wāhi, e tāpara mai ana i ngā pūrerehua me ngā pī hei whakahari i ngā whānau e hiahia ana ki te noho ki waho atu i te Te Ao Marama (Maternity Ward).
He wāhi motuhake kua whakaritea mā ngā Pāpā o ngā pēpi hou e hiahia ana ki te whakatō rākau i te taha o tō rātou whānau hei whakanui i te taenga mai o tō rātou pēpi.
The Family Reflection Space
One of the first spaces created on the Ara Rongoā was the circular Tāpapakā Rongoā (Rongoā gardens). This area embraces both physical and spiritual dimensions, with taonga kohatu (carved stone) and seated areas.
The Whānau Garden has since expanded to include the Maternity entrance path. The carved pou are surrounded by native plantings and flowers, interwoven with rongoā rākau such as kūmarahou, koromiko, kawakawa, rengarenga, and kopakopa, alongside European medicinal plants like lavender.
Flowering plants brighten the space and attract butterflies and bees, delighting whānau who seek time outside the nearby Maternity Ward. A dedicated area has also been set aside for fathers of newborn babies who wish to ceremoniously plant a tree with their whānau in celebration of their new pōtiki pēpi.
Ngā Wānanga o Hine Kōpū (6 December 2024)
Ara Rongoā Hīkoi Whakaora Carving Unveiling and Naming (18 December 2024)