Waitati

Waitati, Waitete, Blueskin, Doctors Point, Mopanui, Mapoutahi and Orokonui are the many and genuine place-names for the multifaceted microcosm of kiwi society that perches on the inside edge of the mudflats of Blueskin Bay lagoon, lurking just out of sight of State Highway 1 at the bottom of the Kilmog hill.

Waitati should have been Wai (river) tete (shoveller/teal/duck) but the mistranslation took place early and the new name stuck. The town was the end of the Dunedin-Waitati railway line, had a general store and a post office. Now it just has a school, a library, a plant nursery and a War Memorial. It probably never should have been Blueskin, a very literal description given to the area by early arrivals who saw the much tattooed face of the local Ngai Tahu Chief.

In between times, starting in the 1960s, Waitati was home to a thriving hippie community, some of whom are still resident. The Waitati Militia was a branch of this, set up to protest the Vietnam War. Other varieties of alternative lifestylers made their home here including many edible garden enthusiasts and other eco-pioneers. Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust was set up "to strengthen our communities in the immediate, mid and long-term future, with emphasis on energy, food, water and community resilience."
Waitati never had a sewage system and as a result has become a test patch for varieties of composting toilets. Maybe not entirely by accident this area has attracted a high proportion of German immigrants.

The millenium maybe brought reduced services to the formerly bustling town, but New Zealand's upsurge in tourism and green ventures saw the Orokonui Ecosanctuary open in the nearby hills. The gentle, hour-long Orokonui Lagoon Walk is just to the south of Waitati on Doctors Point Road. At Doctors Point is an area of holiday homes and beyond them, on the point, at the beach reserve, are the remains of Ngai Tahu Pa, named Mapoutahi.

A business called Mopanui Studio Homes appears to be leading the local branch of the international trend in 'tiny houses' from Waitati, building pint-sized places that fit the bill.

Waitati, a tidal town - a small and perfectly formed New Zealand Place, rising and falling with the fortunes of New Zealand.

Image Credit: Tomas Sobek on Unsplash Dinghy and reflections of Autumn forest. This photo was taken on a calm, peaceful Sunday morning while walking around Blueskin Bay, Waitati (Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand).