In the early 1990s, artist Mark Adams took photographs at a number of significant sites in Te Waipounamu South Island. Accompanied by a book with texts from the late historian Harry Evison, the collection of images was titled Land of Memories and described by Tā Tipene O’Regan in the foreword as “a textured blend of visual and written statements on a beloved land – scarred by memory”. This photograph looks out at Waihora Lake Ellesmere, also known as Te Kete Ika-a-Rākaihautū, the fish basket of legendary explorer Rākaihautū. Evison describes the scene: Gaunt remnants of the once-extensive totara forests of Horomaka litter the mountain slopes, more than a century after the settlers’ fires which destroyed them to make way for pasture. Immediately below lies the valley of Kaituna, formerly clad with lush forests but now also mainly converted to pasture. The Kaituna (eel-food) river was regarded by Māori as one of the main nourishers of Waihora. Therefore […] Ngai Tahu asked to keep Kaituna. This was denied them.

He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil (from August 2024)