Pōkai Whenua GeoTour
Aotearoa New Zealand is a beautiful archipelago with beaches, rivers and lakes, mountains and plains. Unique animals and plants made this land home.
Over the past thousand years fearless human exploration sought understanding and knowledge of the new land. With settlement came impacts.
Follow the footsteps of early explorers of Aotearoa taking you to places where leaders of the past searched for food, resources and ways to adapt and survive. Let the Pōkai Whenua GeoTour become your classroom as you explore the stories of the past, in the present, to preserve what is unique in Aotearoa New Zealand for the future.
How do I participate?
Timeframe
The Pōkai Whenua GeoTour launches on 1 February 2021 and ends on 1 February 2023.
Geo Tour Passport bit.ly/pokaiwhenua_passport
Download the passport and start your exploration today!
Enter the codewords in the passport on pages 3-5. Email the completed passport to [email protected], or you can do this for each completed ‘Area’ or ‘Section’. Please fill in the questions if you have time as they help us to enhance the GeoTour experience.
Coins and Badges
Pōkai Whenua consists of 150 caches across 3 main islands, with 6 puzzle coins and 13 badges to collect along the way.
*Please note that due to the Covid pandemic, there is a delay in production of the Pōkai Whenua coins, badges and holders.
Products will be available from April 2021. Any entries will be logged and placed as they come in, and products will be sent as soon as they arrive.
Get the app.
Go to geocaching.com and sign up for a free account.
Download the Geocaching® app to your smartphone.
Search by GeoTour and enter the code (below) for the tour section you want to explore:
Coin Story
Brave explorers live on in whakapapa and place names throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
Māui, one of the great explorers, possessed many powers.
Using the knowledge of stars passed on to him from his ancestors, Māui navigated his way across Te Moananui-a-Kiwa to Aotearoa. Over hundreds of years many stories have been told to recall his remarkable discovery.
The record of this triumph is recorded in our history in the naming of the Te Ika a Māui (North Island), Te Waka a Māui (South Island) and Te Punga a Māui (Stewart Island).
There are 150 coin sets to celebrate the completion of the 5 sections and 100 bonus coins. They fit together to complete the illustration of Māui’s story.
Digital Souvenirs: Story of the five images
As you complete the five sections of the GeoTour a digital souvenir will pop up to reward your finds. The souvenirs represent key stages in the exploration and settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand.
TAHI
Ranginui (sky father)
Explorers have used knowledge of the stars, sun, moon and clouds to navigate their way across Te Moananui-a-Kiwa for hundreds of years. Aotearoa, was named on Kupe’s voyage when Kuramārōtini, spotted the long white cloud signalling land.
RUA
Tangaroa (god of the sea)
People have used the bounty of Tangaroa to provide food. Early settlements in Aotearoa were along the coast to take advantage of kaimoana.
TORU
Kiwa (guardian of the ocean)
Adventurous explorers were keen to seek out and travel this new land. They have arrived in many vessels across the centuries - waka, ships, and now airplanes.
WHĀ
Pāpātuanuku (earth mother)
Explorers found a land rich with resources. People have come to Aotearoa New Zealand for timber, gold, coal, and refuge. Those that have settled here have used innovation to explore the best use of resources.
RIMA
Tāne Mahuta (god of the forest)
With new migrations came new ways of doing things. The trees, habitats for many species, were felled. Settlements have come and gone, and with them long-lasting effects on the environment.
*Please note that due to the Covid pandemic, there is a delay in production of the Pōkai Whenua coins, badges and holders.
Products will be available from April 2021. Any entries will be logged and placed as they come in, and products will be sent as soon as they arrive.