The Katikati Haiku Pathway

photos : diane johnson Outpost TWISTING ALONG BOTH SIDES of the Uretara Stream, the Katikati Haiku Pathway is a peaceful spot giving locals and tourists alike a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the New Zealand mural town. This collection of boulders inscribed with haiku was one of New Zealand’s Millennium Projects; it’s the largest collection of its kind outside of Japan and the only haiku pathway south of the equator (katakati. co.nz). Catherine Mair, a haiku poet herself as well as the former editor of Kokako (then winterSPIN), headed the project, hoping to clean up the area around the Uretara Stream, which remains an important historical connection between settlers and the outside world. The Katikati Haiku Pathway opened in summer 2000 with twenty-four inscribed stones and now has over thirty. The haiku are chosen to enhance the readers’ experiences as they stroll down the picturesque path, commenting on the scenery surrounding it or even the people passing through. While still relatively new, the pathway has become an integral part of the town, often acting as a venue for concerts or other local events. In addition, the New Zealand Poetry Society hosts an annual haiku contest in honor of the pathway, inviting poets, professional and amateur, from all over the world to participate. For more information on the pathway or the haiku contest, visit the New Zealand Poetry Society website (poetrysociety.org.nz). Chelsea Greer is a WLT intern. Editorial note: Five poetry trails in the US are profiled in the January 2013 issue of WLT. See Pattiann Rogers, “Finding Poetry Under the Open Sky.” The Katikati Haiku Pathway by Chelsea Greer The path near the stream Offers prose to passersby Whispers from the stones – Chelsea Greer 80 WLT MARCH / APRIL 2015

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