Whakapapa is a centrally important social concept for Maori people.
It concerns the importance of 'descent' and the passing of all knowledge down through the generations.
Whakapapa is also the name of the Northern ski fields on Mount Ruapehu, where Simon, my nephew, learnt to ski. He watched the surreal sunsets and sunrises, broke many bones and sacrificed blood, sweat and tears in pursuit of a dream fulfilled.
Looking wests from the Desert Road across the Tussock planes, Whakapapa ski slopes to the north (right) and Turoa ski slopes to the south (left) with the Whangehu River ridge in the centre running toward us from the crater peak being the highest point on the left. This stretch of mountain from where the tree line ends and the below the snow line is almost 20kms across.
