Waikato Pilgrimage Series
Crossing the Mangatāwhiri Stream
This pilgrimage will be the second of a number of pilgrimages into the Waikato planned in 2025. Each of the series will seek to help people bear witness to some of the events around the Waikato Wars.
The next one is planned for Saturday 18th October 2025 and will be led by Archbishop David Moxon and Mana Whenua and will tell the story of Wiremu Tamehana, the Peacemaker.
8.30am - 5pm Saturday 24th May - 2025
Bookings are esssential as places are limited to 25
We will meet at 8.30am - at the Paymaster’s House, 201 Jesmond Road in Drury, Auckland and car pool to the foot of Mount William.
Our walk will take us over Mt. William and down into the Waikato. We will cross the Mangatāwhiri Stream as the imperial troops did under General Cameron. This crossing in 1863 provoked the beginning of the New Zealand Land Wars. We will hear stories en route from Stan Thorburn ( Tainui ) and others about their ancestors’ lives at that time in the Waikato.
We will finish our walk at The Landing at Mercer for reflection and refreshments at the end the day around 5pm.
What to bring:
Bring a packed lunch, water and both wet weather gear and a hat. An umbrella also, is a useful accessory for either intense sun or rain. We will be walking regardless of the weather but there are places to shelter on the route.
KOHA:
Please be prepared to offer a koha to both our hosts/speakers for this pilgrimage.
This will be organised before we start the walk, ideally the night before. It is usually easier for everyone if you can give an identifiable, named koha by bank transfer to:
ANZ Pilgrim 06-0284-0075943-20
Please contact us by email: info@pilgrimagesaotearoa.nz if you have any questions or comments.
What to Expect
A Guided Journey
Our pilgrimages are led by experienced walkers who know the terrain. There are signposts along the way. You do not walk alone and others have gone before. It is a led walk, so you can put aside the worries of finding your way or keeping the time and concentrate on the moment that is right in front of you.
Food and Friendship
The spaciousness of walking and talking allows for new friendships, deeper conversations. It is a great pleasure to prepare and share a good meal together after a day of physical exertion. Planning and friendships begin on a pre-pilgrimage zoom meeting, where you’ll have a chance to ask questions and get to know your fellow pilgrims.
Who Can Come?
Anybody with a moderate to advanced level of fitness who is able to cope with the physical demands of the walk. Pilgrimage is an inclusive spiritual practice – open to anyone who wants to walk to connect with themselves, the land, other people. The spiritual dimension of life - our soul terrain - often emerges in a natural, organic way as we walk and talk together. You are free to simply be yourself.
Landscapes
Usually the routes that we are following are a beautiful contrast of coastal tracks and inland landscapes. However they are sometimes urban and even industrial and heavily populated, . The variety of terrain is all part of pilgrimage. We often make use of the Te Araroa Trail, a trail that runs the whole length of New Zealand from Cape Reinga to the Bluff. We recommend this trail if you are organising your own pilgrimage journey
Costs
We are a not-for-profit group. and the leaders are volunteers.
If the pilgrimage requires accommodation - estimate: $120 - $250 per person, per pilgrimage depending on whether we are making a one or two night stay. We usually prepare and share dinners together but occasionally have to cover that expense. We generally have BYO breakfast and lunch.
Also, plan to contribute to a koha for mana whenua speakers.
Mana Whenua
We invite you to take the posture of the pilgrim; reflective, and considerate, about the people who belong to the land we are exploring. As we walk we become more aware of the stories of the land and the people who have inhabited it over both the pre-settler time and more recently. We make every effort to have local people/mana whenua share with us some of their stories of the land they have always called home.
