Waka crew use traditional navigation

Te Matau A Maui waka and 16 crew set sail for a two-month voyage to and throughout the Cook Islands. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Hawke's Bay-based Te Matau a Maui waka has set sail for a seven-week voyage to and throughout the Cook Islands, with the first leg to Rarotonga being navigated entirely by the sun, the moon, the stars and the waves.

"No charts, no instruments and no GPS - just traditional," the waka's navigator, Piripi Smith, said.

The only person aboard who will have access to 21st-century positioning instruments will be skipper Hana-Lee Kereru-Wainohu, who will be in contact with the seven other waka, which are also embarking on voyages to Rarotonga for the Te Manava Vaka Festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cook Island self-governance.

"We will need to know where the other waka are and it's also a safety backstop," Mr Smith said.

The other three of the four waka sailing from New Zealand left Auckland yesterday afternoon, a few hours after Te Matau a Maui departed from West Quay just after 1pm into strong northerly winds with some gusts measuring 63km/h.

Three other waka have set sail from Tahiti and one will make the short journey from its Aitutaki moorings north of Rarotonga, to be part of the fleet which will assemble and sail in together.

It will be the waka's first major sea journey outside several coastal voyages since visiting the Chatham Islands last June.

Mr Smith said one unique aspect of the festival was that it would be staged effectively on waka time, rather than a pre-set date schedule. Sea and wind conditions would determine when the waka arrived, and accordingly when the festivities could begin.

The voyage could take two weeks if conditions were good or up to three weeks if they cut up rough.

Mr Smith said at this stage long-range forecasts were "not too bad".

"We'll ride this front out," one crew member said as wind gusts swept across the inner harbour.

There will be a crew of 16 aboard although there would be several crew changes along the way.

"People have to get back home to work so we will have others joining us along the way."

Among them will be 13-year-old Manaaki Tawhai who will be on his first major sea voyage, although he has done several coastal trips.

"He has proven himself over the past year," Mr Smith said.

The teenager will fly to Rarotonga and join the waka for the return voyage.

Mr Smith said the waka was well stocked with food supplies for up to 10 weeks.

Along with dried meats and other general dried foodstuffs they had "lots" of fresh fruit and vegetables aboard.

"And we'll be fishing along the way."

Mr Smith said the crew had a busy schedule of visits and events involving Cook Island schools and communities.