1999: Rarangi Millennium Rock

December 30, 2023

By AHNZ

National 4.0 spent $5,000 on the Rarangi Millennium Rock in 1999. It’s on the beach just down the road a bit from Blenheim at Blue Gum Corner.

According to news stories at the time it nearly didn’t make it due to Maori pre-conditions that it have more holes in it. The rock has one hole showing the spot on the horizon out to sea where the sun would rise on the first day of the year 2000.

The Maoris secured the concession that there would be another hole presenting a view of Mount Odin which had been re-named Mount Tapuaenuku and now re-named Tapuae-o-Uenuku. Locals call it Mt Tappy which is a good way to dodge the silly Politically Correct slippery slope!

The tribal politics doesn’t end there though. Ngati Rarua and Ngati Toa iwis, in turn, demanded a third hole that would project a view of their favored mountain: Mt Robertson (which they call Mt Tokomaru.) I take it that these northern Maoris wanted a hole of their own to stake their claim as the Maori Masters of the region to go with the Ngai Tahu hole.

“But that didn’t stop the folk of Marlborough from positioning a large rock near the beach at Rarangi with two holes measured and precisely drilled through the rock to line up with the rising sun and the peak of Tapuae-O-Uenuku. When dawn broke on the special day, it was cloudy and drizzly and the sun was nowhere to be seen.” – The Weekend Sun (2020,) Wayback Machine

The Rarangi Residents Association just about quit in frustration from trying to have enough rock holes to make all the iwis feel special. There was no budget for two Maori holes! In the end the rock was put down in time for the millennium and it has only one hole.

Next time I’m passing by I’ll confirm that in person.

—
Ref. NZPA (18 August 1999,) Now defunct unfortunately which is lucky for the reputation of the quibbling Maoris whose shame is now in the memory hole

Image ref. Derek Hebberd, Facebook (2012)

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