Pounamu Pathway: A World-Class Cultural Experience created by Wētā Workshop and Poutini Ngāi Tahu opens

Wētā Workshop has partnered with Poutini Ngāi Tahu to create the Pounamu Pathway, a ground-breaking tourism initiative on New Zealand’s West Coast, celebrating the region’s cultural, historical, and natural heritage.

The Pounamu Pathway is an immersive storytelling experience that weaves the rich tapestry of local heritage pūrākau (stories) from the West Coast. Four interconnected experience centres — Māwhera (Greymouth), Awarua (Haast), Kawatiri (Westport), and Hokitika — will serve as gateways to captivating and emotive visitor experiences, attracting local, domestic and international tourists to the region.

The most ambitious of the centres, Māwhera, will welcome its first visitors today. It is a bespoke building which takes visitors on a journey through the stories of the people of Poutini Ngāi Tahu and the Māwhera Pā (settlement), on the very land where the Pā once stood. The experience focuses on the core themes of the Pounamu Pathway: Ancestors, Settlements, Battles, Legends, and Trade, all represented in ‘whare’ (houses) built around a central ātea (courtyard) space.

Wētā Workshop’s creations are described as a world-first, creating a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the legendary tīpuna (ancestors) of Ngāti Waewae; with the focal point being their leader, Tūhuru, the warrior chief.

The giant sculpture of Tūhuru is a breath taking hyper-realistic representation of the warrior chief standing at a scale of 2.4:1. The sculpture is adorned with woven accessories, including a kākahu (cloak), maro (cloth), and tātua (belt), which were crafted by dedicated weavers who spent more than 1700 hours creating them.

Inspired by traditions of oral storytelling, the Battles Whare features an immersive 360-degree audio experience that will transport visitors to the battlefields of Te Tai o Poutini (the West Coast). The journey shows how Ngāi Tahu became the victorious guardians of Te Tai o Poutini and of the precious resource: Pounamu (jade). The experience is complemented by a panoramic illustration depicting the key moments and intensity of the battles between two tribes — the long-standing guardians of Te Tai Poutini, and the other, Ngāi Tahu from the East.

“At Wētā Workshop, we are thrilled to be part of the extraordinary collaboration on the Pounamu Pathway project. This endeavour presents a unique opportunity to merge our passion for storytelling and expertise in crafting immersive experiences with the rich cultural heritage of the West Coast,” says Wētā Workshop Creative Development Producer, Jason Aldous.

“It’s a unique privilege to create an immersive experience that uses dramatic, bold, and intimate techniques to tell these stories with the utmost care. Our sense of duty to the West Coast, Poutini Ngāi Tahu, Te Waipounamu, and Aotearoa is insurmountable, and has only been possible through collaboration. We eagerly look forward to the public opening and visitors from Aotearoa and around the world to experience the Pounamu Pathway.”

The next Pounamu Pathway Experience Centre, the Museum of Kawatiri at Westport, is set to open late January 2024, promising a captivating exploration of the region’s precious resources.

For more information, please visit Pounamu Pathway’s official website.