Story: West Coast region

Charles Heaphy on Māori ladder

During their 1846 journey down the West Coast from Golden Bay to the Taramakau River, Charles Heaphy, Thomas Brunner, their Māori guide Kehu and their dog Rover were unable to get past the steep Te Miko cliffs, north of Punakaiki. They had to climb an old Māori ladder, made of pieces of rātā wood lashed together with flax. This clip from the Explorers television series describes the incident.

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TVNZ Television New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

Simon Nathan, 'West Coast region - European arrival and settlement', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/21085/charles-heaphy-on-maori-ladder (accessed 26 April 2024)

Story by Simon Nathan, updated 1 Sep 2016