The sons of revered Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay will spend their final days in Aotearoa experiencing authentic Ngāti Ruanui tourism.

Hosted at the Stratford Mountain House, Norbu Tenzing and Dhamey Tenzing Norgay will hear historical stories, visit sites of significance and be entertained by internationally recognised Ngāti Ruanui kapa haka performers.

They will watch the sun set from Maunga Taranaki and host a one-off presentation ‘Te Mana o Te Maunga’ for Ngāti Ruanui uri as part of an Aotearoa-wide tour sharing knowledge between indigenous cultures mutually interested in ethical tourism.

“We have developed a tourism package which includes a selection of our micro enterprises such as excellent authentic catered kai, a mix of our international performers, historians and guides providing context to site visits and the opportunity to spend quality time with our Tūpuna, Maunga Taranaki,” says Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Ngāti Ruanui Holdings Limited chairwoman.

“We’re so privileged to share Ngāti Ruanui whanaungatanga with two people so devoted to improving conditions and training for Nepalese and Tibetan Sherpa.”

At ‘Te Mana o Te Maunga’, the brothers will present a documentary regarding Sherpa culture as well as share their views on the difficulties facing Sherpa in the Mount Everest area.

They are also focused on learning about Māori respect and care for Maunga environments.

“Ngāti Ruanui was the first Iwi to invest in Maunga tourism infrastructure. Under Ngāti Ruanui ownership, Stratford Mountain House has become an award-winning internationally recognised place to visit. Ngāti Ruanui is the only Iwi to have Department of Conservation Walking Concession on Maunga Taranaki.

“This is such an exciting time to be building Maori tourism in New Zealand.”

Tenzing Norgay Sherpa was one of the first two people to summit Chomolungma- the Maunga known as Everest- in 1953, with well-known New Zealand climber Sir Edmund Hilary.

Norbu Tenzing and Dhamey Tenzing Norgay will be welcomed on Wednesday January 30 at the Stratford Mountain House and will be guests of Ngāti Ruanui until Friday February 01, 2019.

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