Michelle Smith (back left), Manaia Puketapu, Te Kaha Hawaikirangi,, Jay Huston (sitting front left), Phillip Smith and Tiffany Laitamen on board the Te Matau a Maui Voyaging Trust Waka in Napier's inner harbour.
Michelle Smith (back left), Manaia Puketapu, Te Kaha Hawaikirangi,, Jay Huston (sitting front left), Phillip Smith and Tiffany Laitamen on board the Te Matau a Maui Voyaging Trust Waka in Napier's inner harbour.
The sails are set to be raised on the Ahuriri-moored Te Matua a Maui waka as navigator Philip Smith and his enthusiastic crew prepare for a voyage out into Te whanga nui a Ruawharo (Hawke'sBay) to meet with arriving waka from the south.
It will be a historic encounter whichwill lead to the closing ceremony of the Tuia 250 Encounters at Mahia mai Tawhiti — an event being staged on Sunday which will be attended by the Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy and Prime Minister Jacinda Adhern.
Smith said the waka would set sail later this week to rendezvous with the three arriving waka off Te Matau a Maui/Cape Kidnappers, although the timing was down to the other waka, and that came down to sea and wind conditions.
Before heading to Mahia the waka and crews will anchor at a site between Black Reef and the tip of the cape.
They will stage a karakia ceremony there to acknowledge an event there 250 years ago which resulted in three local Maori being shot due to a cultural misunderstanding over a trade exchange of fish.
Local Ngāti Kahungunu men Whakaruhe and Whakaika were killed in that event while another, Te Ori, was injured but lived to tell the tale.
Te Kaha Hawaikirangi (left) and Phillip Smith preparing for the journey. Photo / Warren Buckland
"We're keen for these names to be known as well as the story associated with the event, two Tahitians on the Endeavour played a big part, the young Tahitian boy Taiato was the one grabbed by local Māori, giving cause to the name Kidnappers," Smith said.
"Tuia 250 is about local kōrero being told from these first encounters, both the good and the bad."
He said understanding and teaching the next generation their history, and looking ahead to a shared future together, had been one of the main themes of the Tuia 250 commemorations and said it was a "real positive" kaupapa to have been involved with.
"For us it means a richer education for our kids," Smith, who is part of the Atea a Rangi Educational Trust, said.
"We have recently started a conversation with our own Iwi and mana whenua groups, DoC and local land owners about coming together to have some sort of whakamaumahara or remembrance site out near the cape to acknowledge these ancestors who were killed."
He said back in those early days the cape was a very populated area for local Māori, mainly from the hapū or sub tribe Ngāti Hāwea who are affiliated these days to the Matahiwi Marae in Clive as well as others.
After the karakia the waka fleet will head for Mahia where regattas and community events will take place. Mahia was chosen for the event as it had strong links to voyaging waka with both Kurahoupo and Takitimu.
"This sail will be good as we have some old experienced crew teaching some very new and young crew members the ropes," Smith said.
It was to be a positive challenge in what he said had been a sometimes challenging time for the waka, which is moored off West Quay.
It had been targeted by vandals recently — in one case someone defecated on the deck and a flag had been ripped down.
Security in the area has long been a problem for all vessels, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
"We are in talks with the Napier City Council about a long-term secure berth which looks like an exciting development for the Ahuriri area," Smith said.
