Regional Wrap: West Murihiku Southland with Pauline Vaeluaga Smith

30 kilometres west of Waihōpai Invercargill, is the town of Aparima or Riverton. It’s the gateway to spectacular and remote West Southland, an area sitting between the mountains of Fiordland and the Takitimu mountain range, with an infamous wild ocean out front.  Riverton is one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand and before that  Aparima was a substantial Māori settlement, due to its proximity to the ocean and a river estuary. The area is said to be home to a surprising number of artists alongside fisherfolk, and it’s also home to a strong Aoteaora cultural advocate, writer Pauline Vaeluaga Smith.