Foraging with Rangitane Marae in Marlborough/ Wairau

Foraging along the edge of the top of the south with Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau Copyright

- All rights reserved Peter Langlands/ Wild Capture 7 November 2016 Lying on the South Island’s north eastern coast the Wairau Region is a place of diversity in landscapes and environments. A temperate and productive climate, with lots of sunshine hours and a relatively settled environment allows for a wide range of wild-foods to thrive. The Wairau Plains and adjoining Marlborough Sounds, including Port Underwood, as well s the connection of Marlborough’s largest river, the Wairau itself help define this region. For mahinga kai and kai moana the Rangitane region also provides . A rich productive coastline and the Wairau Lagoons make this region a rich food basket. The South Island’s own “bay of plenty”.

In September this year I was lucky enough to be invited to lead a foraging workshop/ wananga thanks to Keelan Walker. For me and my partner, Melany Wright, the opportunity to explore a new foraging region was one that we accepted immediately. (We are based in Canterbury) . Staying at the Rangitane Marae was a fantastic base. Being all in the one place made preparing and cooking the days foraged bounty easy. The modern kitchen and spacious dining environment on the marae was ideal. From the diversity of foraged greens on the edge of the Wairau Bar, to a collection of shellfish from Port Underwood, including some pauas we were spoilt for choice on the Saturday night. Sunday morning followed through in good measure with fresh flounders from the Wairau and some pre-foraged whitebait. The samphire (a salt-marsh plant with a salty asparagus like taste) eluded us on the day but the Wairau does have rich samphire beds and it is always good to have a reason to return to Rangitane Marae!

While each region has its own unique mix of foraging opportunities there are also some general rules for foraging that allow you to locate foraged foods in New Zealand. In many ways foraging is a basic instinct and allows you to slow down and appreciate nature. It is relaxing and allows you to be in the moment as your eyes dart across the landscape looking for opportunities. In many ways foraging is a very engaging activity that allows you to tune into the quality of the local environment, it also goes without saying that the most diverse foraging areas are also those that have high biodiversity. Often the best places for foraging are the edge zones- the edges of rivers, wetlands, the coastline, road margins and city edges. It is in these often forgotten about places that wild plants will flourish and escaped seeds from commercial crops will go wild. Wild parsnips are a case in point. With their sprawling form wild parsnips take a little more preparation than their cultured relatives but the flavours are more intense as is often the case with foraged foods.

Foraging takes you into the moment; it is a practice of mindfulness that puts food on the table. Really when you are actively foraging, scanning the diversity of plants and their myriad forms you easily forget about everything else. It allows you to tune into nature and to have some time out from the pressures of modern life and the families on the day seemed to enjoy have some time to chill out while getting an exciting range of plants, seaweeds and shellfish for the evenings’ meal. A picnic lunch and an excursion into a cave at Rarangi also was a great interlude to the foraging. With foraging you get a direct connection with your food. Knowing where your food comes from is increasingly important for our health. It is also deeply satisfying and after each forage meal you eat it is hard not to re-live in your mind the day’s events, the places and people that you foraged with, the smell of the sea air and the calls of the birds- the sense of adventure. In fact the more you forage and become aware of the diversity around you the smaller your foraging area becomes. It really allows you to fully appreciate the local environment. The Wairau is a meeting place of landscapes and people, a rich and diverse area that supported the first Maori settlements in the South island. Today that richness is still there and in a relatively small space many foraging fishing and hunting environments exist. It is also our responsibility as foragers to be involved actively in protecting the environments that we forage in. So much is within a stone’s throw for a days foraging and fishing in the Wairau. Certainly foraging also means taking caution, avoiding areas that have been sprayed, and being aware of water quality. Also taking the time to become familiar with poisonous plants and fungi is also important. One the day we encountered the native tutu and the introduced hemlock which are two very poisonous plants. When trying new foods start with a small amount as some foraged foods will not agree with everyone. Really with foraging you will spend your lifetime learning- going one species at a time. It is therefore great to get kids involved early as they will reap the benefits of a life-long learning. The advantages of foraging are many. Firstly you get healthy food that tastes good. Plants foraged along the shoreline will be pre-seasoned by the sea air. You also get to experience a diversity of flavours which are often expressed more intensely in foraged foods. Also for many of the seaweeds there is very little available commercially so for some species like bull kelp you can simply not just pick it up from the supermarket as there is no commercial quota to allow its harvest. It is the seaweeds that are one of the bounties in the forager’s realm and we are lucky to have over 900 types of seaweeds in New Zealand of which over fifty can be readily foraged. The waters of the Rangitane region, and especially in Port Underwood, have a very good diversity of seaweeds as ocean currents meet nearby in Cook Strait. Seaweeds gathered from clean waters are known to be some of the healthiest and most sustaining foods available on the planet. We celebrated this with some crispy bull kelp chips and wakame seaweed salad at the end of the day. Foraging is suited to all ages and the kids eyes are closer to the ground and will see things that we adults will overlook! Everyone will spot something different and that is the fun aspect of foraging. Like a spontaneous treasure hunt. For me I always find something new or unexpected when I go out foraging. Even familiar species can be exciting to find in certain seasons, such as fruiting kawa kawa. Through time and place everything is dynamically changing, the total opposite of controlled supermarket production. Indeed there is a rebellious aspect to foraging, working outside of the “system”. In many ways the growth of foraging will take place at the family and community level, sadly there is not a lot of commercial incentive to promote foraging.

Yet through Whanau and Iwi initiatives we can advance foraging. Social media is also very useful, especially in confirming the identity of new forage species that you find. At present I am working with a wide diversity of people to build up a comprehensive database of the forage species that we have available in New Zealand and I am more than happy to assist people with indenting new species that they find ( contact details below) . Taking a photo with a phone and sharing it to identify something new is a fun aspect of foraging. Foraging is all about sharing knowledge and respect for the environment. Ultimately the excitement of foraging is the ever changing bounty that is available. In many ways foraging is a timeless pursuit that takes us back to the ways of our ancestors, before the land was transformed into an abundance of red meat production. Yet somehow a Smartphone does not look out of place and in this modern age is one of the forager’s most effective tools, along with our eyes and a kete to put the day’s bounty in. Foraging is a bridge between cultures and ages- a real equaliser that’s grounds us all. I look forward to returning to Rangitane and continuing the exploration and sharing- a meeting place for people, waters and landscapes For more information Wild Capture - wild foods and foraging – NZ https://www.facebook.com/forageNZ/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf&qsefr=1 Seaweed foraging- New Zealand https://www.facebook.com/groups/324733514387077/ Photographs- Captioned photographs in Dropbox. Copyright- Peter Langlands/ Wild Capture 2016 Draft two – 7 November 2016 Copyright- All rights reserved Peter Langlands/ Wild Capture 7 November 2016 Lying on the South Island’s north eastern coast the Wairau Region is a place of diversity in landscapes and environments. A temperate and productive climate, with lots of sunshine hours and a relatively settled environment allows for a wide range of wild-foods to thrive. The Wairau Plains and adjoining Marlborough Sounds, including Port Underwood, as well s the connection of Marlborough’s largest river, the Wairau itself help define this region. For mahinga kai and kai moana the Rangitane region also provides . A rich productive coastline and the Wairau Lagoons make this region a rich food basket. The South Island’s own “bay of plenty”. In September this year I was lucky enough to be invited to lead a foraging workshop/ wananga thanks to Keelan Walker. For me and my partner, Melany Wright, the opportunity to explore a new foraging region was one that we accepted immediately. (We are based in Canterbury) . Staying at the Rangitane Marae was a fantastic base. Being all in the one place made preparing and cooking the days foraged bounty easy. The modern kitchen and spacious dining environment on the marae was ideal. From the diversity of foraged greens on the edge of the Wairau Bar, to a collection of shellfish from Port Underwood, including some pauas we were spoilt for choice on the Saturday night. Sunday morning followed through in good measure with fresh flounders from the Wairau and some pre-foraged whitebait. The samphire (a salt-marsh plant with a salty asparagus like taste) eluded us on the day but the Wairau does have rich samphire beds and it is always good to have a reason to return to Rangitane Marae! While each region has its own unique mix of foraging opportunities there are also some general rules for foraging that allow you to locate foraged foods in New Zealand. In many ways foraging is a basic instinct and allows you to slow down and appreciate nature. It is relaxing and allows you to be in the moment as your eyes dart across the landscape looking for opportunities. In many ways foraging is a very engaging activity that allows you to tune into the quality of the local environment, it also goes without saying that the most diverse foraging areas are also those that have high biodiversity. Often the best places for foraging are the edge zones- the edges of rivers, wetlands, the coastline, road margins and city edges. It is in these often forgotten about places that wild plants will flourish and escaped seeds from commercial crops will go wild. Wild parsnips are a case in point. With their sprawling form wild parsnips take a little more preparation than their cultured relatives but the flavours are more intense as is often the case with foraged foods. Foraging takes you into the moment; it is a practice of mindfulness that puts food on the table. Really when you are actively foraging, scanning the diversity of plants and their myriad forms you easily forget about everything else. It allows you to tune into nature and to have some time out from the pressures of modern life and the families on the day seemed to enjoy have some time to chill out while getting an exciting range of plants, seaweeds and shellfish for the evenings’ meal. A picnic lunch and an excursion into a cave at Rarangi also was a great interlude to the foraging. With foraging you get a direct connection with your food. Knowing where your food comes from is increasingly important for our health. It is also deeply satisfying and after each forage meal you eat it is hard not to re-live in your mind the day’s events, the places and people that you foraged with, the smell of the sea air and the calls of the birds- the sense of adventure. In fact the more you forage and become aware of the diversity around you the smaller your foraging area becomes. It really allows you to fully appreciate the local environment. The Wairau is a meeting place of landscapes and people, a rich and diverse area that supported the first Maori settlements in the South island. Today that richness is still there and in a relatively small space many foraging fishing and hunting environments exist. It is also our responsibility as foragers to be involved actively in protecting the environments that we forage in. So much is within a stone’s throw for a days foraging and fishing in the Wairau. Certainly foraging also means taking caution, avoiding areas that have been sprayed, and being aware of water quality. Also taking the time to become familiar with poisonous plants and fungi is also important. One the day we encountered the native tutu and the introduced hemlock which are two very poisonous plants. When trying new foods start with a small amount as some foraged foods will not agree with everyone. Really with foraging you will spend your lifetime learning- going one species at a time. It is therefore great to get kids involved early as they will reap the benefits of a life-long learning. The advantages of foraging are many. Firstly you get healthy food that tastes good. Plants foraged along the shoreline will be pre-seasoned by the sea air. You also get to experience a diversity of flavours which are often expressed more intensely in foraged foods. Also for many of the seaweeds there is very little available commercially so for some species like bull kelp you can simply not just pick it up from the supermarket as there is no commercial quota to allow its harvest. It is the seaweeds that are one of the bounties in the forager’s realm and we are lucky to have over 900 types of seaweeds in New Zealand of which over fifty can be readily foraged. The waters of the Rangitane region, and especially in Port Underwood, have a very good diversity of seaweeds as ocean currents meet nearby in Cook Strait. Seaweeds gathered from clean waters are known to be some of the healthiest and most sustaining foods available on the planet. We celebrated this with some crispy bull kelp chips and wakame seaweed salad at the end of the day. Foraging is suited to all ages and the kids eyes are closer to the ground and will see things that we adults will overlook! Everyone will spot something different and that is the fun aspect of foraging. Like a spontaneous treasure hunt. For me I always find something new or unexpected when I go out foraging. Even familiar species can be exciting to find in certain seasons, such as fruiting kawa kawa. Through time and place everything is dynamically changing, the total opposite of controlled supermarket production. Indeed there is a rebellious aspect to foraging, working outside of the “system”. In many ways the growth of foraging will take place at the family and community level, sadly there is not a lot of commercial incentive to promote foraging. Yet through Whanau and Iwi initiatives we can advance foraging. Social media is also very useful, especially in confirming the identity of new forage species that you find. At present I am working with a wide diversity of people to build up a comprehensive database of the forage species that we have available in New Zealand and I am more than happy to assist people with indenting new species that they find ( contact details below) . Taking a photo with a phone and sharing it to identify something new is a fun aspect of foraging. Foraging is all about sharing knowledge and respect for the environment. Ultimately the excitement of foraging is the ever changing bounty that is available. In many ways foraging is a timeless pursuit that takes us back to the ways of our ancestors, before the land was transformed into an abundance of red meat production. Yet somehow a Smartphone does not look out of place and in this modern age is one of the forager’s most effective tools, along with our eyes and a kete to put the day’s bounty in. Foraging is a bridge between cultures and ages- a real equaliser that’s grounds us all. I look forward to returning to Rangitane and continuing the exploration and sharing- a meeting place for people, waters and landscapes For more information Wild Capture - wild foods and foraging – NZ https://www.facebook.com/forageNZ/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf&qsefr=1 Seaweed foraging- New Zealand https://www.facebook.com/groups/324733514387077/ Photographs- Captioned photographs in Dropbox. Copyright- Peter Langlands/ Wild Capture 2016 Draft two – 7 November 2016