A Tohu Whenua Itinerary To Enrich Your Winter Season

Whether the slopes of Queenstown and Wānaka are a bucket-list adventure or right in your backyard, exploring Tohu Whenua sites at the foot of the mountain will give you a chance to go deeper this winter season.

Tohu Whenua is a free itinerary that will lead you to places with incredible family-friendly visitor experiences and a chance to soak up history where it happened. Each marked with an iconic Tohu Whenua site post, there are now 12 recognised Tohu Whenua sites in the Otago region, acknowledging local places as must-see heritage experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The itinerary encompasses the diverse range of history around the country, from the industrial history of West Coast mines to the storied trails of the Otago Central Rail Trail. Along with the Rail Trail, other nearby Tohu Whenua include Arrowtown, Kawarau Suspension Bridge, the iconic TSS Earnslaw and Dunedin based Tohu Whenua sites such as Huriawa and Larnach Castle.

Tohu Whenua Te Wai Pounamu Regional Coordinator, Jill Mitchell-Larrivee, has a background in tourism and education that fuels her passion for promoting and developing the itinerary.

“If I was still teaching, I’d be encouraging all my students to tick off places on the Tohu Whenua itinerary to help them understand the New Zealand they live in today,” she says.

Jill also highlights that these sites are places to actively learn, making them more interesting to explorers of all ages.

“The learnings at Tohu Whenua sites are cleverly integrated into a much bigger experience - walking, running, biking, cruising, paddling, storytelling, feeding animals, creating, dressing up, exploring a castle, sharing kai and a cuppa or having a go at activities from the past.”

Tohu Whenua will include all regions across the motu in time, with the growing list currently including 27 Tohu Whenua sites in three regions; Te Tai Tokerau Northland, Te Tai Poutini West Coast and Otago. So whether you’re looking for an experience close to home or in regions around the country, Tohu Whenua is here to guide you to must-see places to visit and includes some top-notch local activities for your rest/recovery days this ski season.

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