Ocean-going waka takes Bay by storm

Traditional double-hulled canoe Uto Ni Yalo came into shore at Pilot Bay at the weekend. Photo / Andrew Warner

A Fijian ocean-going waka was a real eye-catcher for the crowds who soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed the paddle board racing at Pilot Bay over the weekend.

The Uto Ni Yalo, skippered by Angelo Adonai, is in Tauranga for two weeks during which time it will be taken out of the water so its hulls can be painted.

The crew are being hosted by Tauranga's master of celestial navigation Jack Thatcher and another skilled celestial navigator Frank Kawe.

Uto Ni Yalo will then set sail for Rarotonga where it will take part in the year-long celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Cook Islands' independence.

Mr Thatcher said the Fijian-based waka and his double-hulled waka Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti were out supporting the inaugural Mount Festival of Multisport.

Another big day for double-hulled canoes that navigate by the stars will be the arrival in Tauranga in mid-February of two Hawaiian waka, Hokule'a and sister canoe Hikianalia.

The two waka are on a round-the-world voyage to spread the message that people need to look after their planet. Low-lying Pacific and Indian Ocean islands are already threatened by rising sea levels caused by rising levels of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere.

The Hawaiian canoes are on their way to Napier after which they will head to Wellington and Picton before returning up the East Coast to enter Tauranga Harbour.

Mr Thatcher, who helped sail the Hokule'a from Tonga to New Zealand, will be on board for the crossing of the Indian Ocean, starting at Darwin and finishing at Durban in South Africa.

The voyage across the ocean will start about the middle of the year.