{"id":421087,"date":"2026-05-10T17:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T17:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/421087\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T17:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T17:00:38","slug":"sunlive-historical-hopukiore-caves-protected-with-barriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/421087\/","title":{"rendered":"SunLive – Historical Hopukiore caves protected with barriers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three historical caves at Mount Maunganui\u2019s popular and culturally significant Hopukiore (Mt Drury) Reserve have been sealed with uniquely patterned barriers following engagement with mana whenua.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hopukiore caves were sealed following engagement with mana whenua due to ongoing operational issues and disrespect such as graffiti and littering,\u201d Tauranga City Council head of spaces and places Alison Law said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe caves hold cultural significance, and their protection is important to mana whenua and council.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nThe designs developed in partnership with mana whenua have been laser-cut into the corten steel panels. Photo \/ Kelly O\u2019Hara<\/p>\n

Law said the cave protection design, which is laser-cut into the barriers, was developed in partnership with mana whenua.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists from both Ng\u0101i Tukairangi and Ng\u0101ti Kuku provided designs that were incorporated into the corten steel panel. The intent was to respectfully acknowledge the cultural significance of the site while clearly signalling that access to the caves is restricted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The panels also include gated access for maintenance and rubbish removal.<\/p>\n

Law said it was hoped removing public access to the caves would protect them from littering and vandalism and reduce antisocial behaviour in the area.<\/p>\n

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\nThe corten steel panels sealing the caves also include gated access for maintenance and rubbish removal. Photo \/ Kelly O\u2019Hara<\/p>\n

The caves have long-standing cultural importance, with Hopukiore having been a site for t\u0101 moko (traditional tattooing), with kiore (native rat) teeth and bones used as tools.<\/p>\n

Following the Battle of Hopukiore in 1820, its caves were used for burials, and the site remains a w\u0101hi tapu (sacred place).<\/p>\n

In the 1840s, the 40-metre high Hopukiore was used by British troops as a military base. The 80th Regiment occupied the hill from 1842 to 1843. In 1852, Commander Byron Drury, after surveying the Bay of Plenty aboard HMS Pandora, was recognised by naming it Mount Drury.<\/p>\n

More recently, a man lived in one of the caves for two years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cave protection was not specifically implemented as a response to homelessness, although mana whenua did express a desire for the caves to be protected for this reason as well,\u201d Law said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe request to seal the caves predates the period when people were living in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nThe patterned barriers signal that access to the caves is restricted, while respectfully acknowledging the cultural significance of the site. Photo \/ Kelly O\u2019Hara<\/p>\n

Law said safety concerns related to landslides or rocky slopes were not a factor in the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouncil has been working on a range of improvements at Hopukiore and has been actively engaging with mana whenua, Heritage New Zealand and the accessibility community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original total budget for the pathway and cave works was about $400,000, with representatives of Ng\u0101ti Kuku and Ng\u0101i Tukairangi hap\u016b consulted on the upgrade.<\/p>\n

\"The

\nThe Hopukiore caves were once used for burials and are regarded as a sacred place. Photo \/ Kelly O\u2019Hara<\/p>\n

As part of the improvements, a missing section of pathway along Pacific Ave had been completed, creating a continuous loop around the base of the reserve, and requiring the removal of two of the 12 car parks. On the Maunganui Rd side, a timber boardwalk had replaced sections of steep and narrow path, improving accessibility.<\/p>\n

The footpath upgrades were completed mid-2025 and the cave sealing was finished last month.<\/p>\n

Law said engagement on the project had also informed plans to upgrade the existing playground, with a strong focus on inclusivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timing of construction will be aligned with the plans for reopening Mauao, which will need to be staged, and it must be based on safety evidence,\u201d Law said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Three historical caves at Mount Maunganui\u2019s popular and culturally significant Hopukiore (Mt Drury) Reserve have been sealed with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":421088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-421087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}