The return and handover ceremony of Te Ara o Tūrongo, the railway line within the King Country will be held at 488 Te Māwhai Rd, Tokanui, on Saturday, April 15.
The return of the land is part of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement between Maniapoto iwi and the Government, and takes place 138 years after a railway sod-turning ceremony was conducted on the southern side of the Puniu River on April 15, 1885.
The sod-turning ceremony marked the opening of the King Country after Maniapoto closed the territory to foreigners following the atrocities at Rangiaowhia and the battle at O-Rākau with British troops in 1864. Maniapoto eventually agreed to the construction of the railway line through Maniapoto lands through a series of assurances known as Te Ohākī Tapu,
The event partners are KiwiRail and MOTAT. The event will be livestreamed across the Te Nehenehenui Facebook and YouTube pages. Visitors are expected to register online with Te Nehenehenui.
