Local Hāpu to Place Rāhui on the Matapouri Mermaid Pools

Holidayers heading off to the Matapouri Mermaid Pools will need to snap their insta-pic somewhere else because local hapū are to place a rāhui on the area, Stuff reports. The premiere tourist destination, just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Auckland, draws in thousands of people over summer. And now, all that sunblock, urine and other nasty things humans bring into the pools have damaged the spots natural beauty and ecology.

Te Whānau a Rangiwhakaahu issued a notice about the prohibition on Thursday, saying they planned to restrict access to both of the pools and the trail over Rangitapi headland at Matapouri Bay. Hapū trust chair, Aperahama Edwards says prohibition will be placed soon to "restore the mauri of the taonga."

"While the rāhui is in place Te Whanau a Rangiwhakaahu hapū will continue to work with key stakeholder groups including community and government agencies to develop an enduring plan to manage and protect the environmental, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of Te Wai o Te Taniwha and protect the wāhi tapu upon the Rangitapu headland," the statement said.

Kiwis’ reactions to the news has been overall positive, with many agreeing the stunning pools are worth protecting. “I used to catch snapper in the mermaid pools in the 90s when I lived at Matapouri and the sea life in this pool was plentiful. Now it's like a sewer with urine and toxic sunscreen destroying its beauty. Let's all respect the Rahui in place,” one person wrote.

“It was beautiful the first time I went there, but the last time we went it was a very different place. The water murky, a feeling of a public pool, noisy with a heck of a lot of people. It didn't feel respected or look like it was treated as something special by anyone who was there,” said one person. “Visited here in the school holidays and man it's worth saving totally support this decision,” another person wrote.

The statement by Te Whanau ā Rangiwhakaahu Hapū also thanked other community-led groups for their help raising awareness for the "plight of our taonga (treasure)" and announced there would be a public meeting on their Marae for anyone with a connection to the pools. This is to ensure "that this intrinsic part of our cultural, spiritual and ecological heritage is protected mō tatou, a, mō ngā uri ā muri ake nei – that is, for ourselves and for our children after us".