Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
‘Beautiful’ arrival of waka hourua
Hundreds of people have turned out at Kaiteriteri/Kaiteretere for the arrival of four waka hourua, marking the start of a national festival celebrating the seafaring vessels, of the kind thought to have brought the first settlers to Aotearoa.
A pōwhiri (welcome ceremony) for the double-hulled waka from across the North Island kicked off a weeklong Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Festival, which took place in Te Waipounamu (the South Island) last week for the first time.
Representatives of the eight iwi from across Te Tauihu (the top of the South Island) took part in the pōwhiri, surrounded by spectators as the waka hourua arrived at the beach at the southern end of the Abel Tasman National park at sunrise. Lee Mason from Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō was on the waka tangata (the people’s canoe) – the first craft to go out into the bay to meet the incoming vessels.
“It was a beautiful,” he said.
“There was a bit of a cloud burst directly behind them, and the lines of the sun coming up ... over Rangitoto which is D’Urville Island.”
Mana whenua said it was a privilege to be hosting the festival in Te Tauihu (the top of the South Island).
The event was part of the revitalisation of the navigational skills of tangata whenua, Mason said.
“That’s how we got here. So just to tautoko [support] the kaupapa of these people is pretty cool for us.”
Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Charitable Trust created the bi-annual festival, which had taken place twice before in Te Ika-a-Māui (the North Island).
The event was aimed at raising awareness and sharing mātauranga (knowledge) about waka hourua, the vessels Polynesian voyagers used to explore the Pacific Ocean navigating by the stars, moon and tides.
People boarded the waka and learnt about things such as heritage, craftsmanship and navigation on public open days and during school workshops.
The waka were “inundated with visitors from near and far” on the first public open day of the event, which ended at the weekend, the trust said.
Trust representative for Te Waipounamu o Raro region, co-chairperson Iaean Cranwell, enjoyed seeing the knowledge passed on throughout the event.
“Looking at the kids’ smiling faces as they learn about mātauranga around waka hourua, and the resources the kaiako can use in schools that they are taking away is awesome.
“The biggest thing for me is seeing the mana whenua coming together, kā iwi e waru, the eight iwi, for the pōwhiri and the waka hourua arriving in to Kaiteretere.
“It’s great hearing the stories that over 300 years ago, these types of waka arrived on these shores, and returning today, in some way, collectivising our hapori [community], be it Pākehā or Māori.”