ABOUT US

Meet the Team

Pilgrimages Aotearoa are a small, ever-evolving, welcoming group of people dedicated to the spiritual practice of walking with intent in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Our three main team leaders are volunteers with a passion for pilgrimage in Aotearoa, New Zealand and it’s huge potential.

Peter Bowden ( Te Atiawa, Ngāti te Whiti ) and Sarah Bowden co ordinated the Northern-bound pilgrimages over a six year period that followed the Te Araroa Trail from Auckland to Rangihoua.

Peter and Sarah continue to organise day and weekend pilgrimages that give us more information and understanding of the historical context that preceded and was influenced by the Waikato Land Wars. They are committed to a yearly pilgrimage into Taranaki and are also developing journeys into Whanganui a Tara ( Wellington and Wellington Harbour ) following Peter’s whakapapa Māori.

Peter and Sarah are committed to seeking to hear the stories of tangata whenua and mana whenua as they walk the land where this is possible. Here is a published journal article which gives more detail to this description Pilgrimages in Aotearoa - Uncovering the Hidden, Giving Voice to the Silences https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol14/iss1/5/

Peter works part time in general practice and is a student of Kai Oranga at Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Sarah has been involved in secondary education for her paid working life and is also a student of Kai Oranga at Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and a Trust board member for Third Space Trust.

Greg Smith, has a real interest in day pilgrimages and Auckland based urban and cultural pilgrimages.

Greg contributed more than twenty years to the preservation of our volcanic cones in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Wider Team

There is a much wider team that contributes to the pilgrimages in general by providing invaluable support, advice and historical details.

This includes some of the people who walk with us.

The overall purpose of this website is to encourage and assist people or groups in organising their own pilgrimages.

Contact us if you would like more information or to comment further and we will get back to you.