A Fistful of Houses

Rapaki. July 2008. Ajr

I drove over to the tiny Lyttelton Harbour settlement of Rapaki for an interview yesterday and while I waited for the clock to tick over to the appointed time, I took this snap looking down on the bay. Nestled into a sheltered inner eastern shoreline, Rapaki is – geographically - little more than a fistful of houses clinging to the hillsides, a small beach, a jetty and the Maori marae that is home to the Ngai Tahu runanga, Te Hapu o Ngati Wheke. The Te Wheke hall was built in 1901 and sits on a grassy plateau just above the beach, along with a gorgeous little Whare Karakia (church), which opened in 1869. The thing I love about the place is the total silence – not to mention the ever-changing seaward views. www.ngaitahu.iwi.co.nz