Reading the signs of the sea: kaumoana prepare for traditional navigation to Rēkohu

Kaihautū/celestial navigator Piripi Smith is training the next generation of kaumoana to sail to Rēkohu in January. Photo / Warren Buckland

Tugging at its mooring in the Ahuriri Quay, Te Matau a Māui is the 22-metre, double-hulled voyaging waka that is seemingly itching to set sail on the open ocean once more.

The waka hourua will carry its latest crew of 15 kaumoana 40 nautical miles to Māhia on November 19 and just under 400 nautical miles to Rēkohu/Chatham Islands in January.

Kaihautū/celestial navigator Piripi Smith said the name of the waka pays homage to the region and Ngāti Kahungunu history.

"The story of Māui fishing up Te Ika a Māui is a metaphor for Māori discovering the island.

"There is also symbolism as the jawbone of Māui's grandmother represents our oral history and the kōrero handed down from our tīpuna," Smith said.

The kaumoana are training to sail the waka using traditional methods of celestial navigation and they won't be deterred from their waka-based classroom despite the challenges that Ranginui and Tāwhiri-mātea unleash upon them.

Every Wednesday afternoon, rain or storm, a crew that includes Māori, Pākehā, Brazilian, and French members prepare for two overseas sailings. This week, the crew spent a wet Wednesday reefing the waka's sail with their eyes closed.

"It's often in conditions like today, when the weather is miserable, that we will need to change our sails. It also simulates when we will do this at night," Smith said.

Te Po Hawaikirangi reefing the sail with her eyes closed in the rain on Wednesday. Photo / Warren Buckland

Smith, who was mentored by the likes of Jack Thatcher and Hekenukumai Busby, has a large number of sea miles under his sails.

Smith is eager to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of Ngāti Kahungunu navigators and has been training Te Kaha and Te Po Hawaikirangi to navigate by tohu such as the sun and stars.

"We'll be sailing as traditionally as possible, so no modern technology will be used by the crew, except in the case of an emergency.

"Te Po and I will be navigating alongside Piripi, reading the swells, winds, stars, moon, sun and specific birds to guide the waka," Te Kaha said.

Thousands of years ago, Māui and Kupe voyaged across the ocean in a double-hulled waka guided by ngā tohu (signs). In 2021, Te Matau a Māui crew members are still drawing upon the same navigational tools for their journeys.

"We're not meteorologists, we're just observing the natural environment, like the swells or winds.

"It needs to be our bread and butter, living off the signs or tohu of our environment. Spotting natural phenomena and reacting to our observations is simply continuing what our ancestors did," Te Kaha said.

Te Kaha said that with constant technological distractions it's easy to become complacent about the taiao and the way we move through it.

"We need to train ourselves to click out of that mode, because if we don't we're more than likely to lose our way.

"Finding your way in the moana means connecting with the mātauranga of the taiao and being observant," he said.

15 kaumoana will sail the 40 nautical miles to Māhia on November 19 and just under 400 nautical miles to Rēkohu/Chatham Islands in January. Photo / Warren Buckland

The Hawaikirangi whānau's connection and care for the environment is evident in their involvement with restorative planting projects and in their whakapapa.

"Our tīpuna are Pania and Moremore, so we have a strong connection with the sea and the environment. It runs in our whānau," Te Kaha said.

Pania is a taonga of the Ahuriri coastline, who now takes the shape of a reef in the moana. Smith said it is these stories which through sailing can transcend the realm of the spiritual into te ao Mārama.

Te Kaha and Te Po said they were looking forward to their open ocean navigations and testing their read of the environment.

"Everyone's excited. We're chomping at the bit to get out there. Some people travel several hours each week to train, they're all very committed," Te Kaha said.

Smith said the Ātea a Rangi Trust will also be holding whānau open days this summer to recruit new kaumoana.

"People don't need any previous sailing experience or to be Māori to come along, you just need to respect tikanga Māori and be a good person to be in a small space with," Smith said.