Windless days stall progress for waka crew

Pounamu Tipiwai-Chambers, a Karamu High School student, enjoying the calm seas and light winds after the vessel was stalled by a high-pressure weather system.

After setting sail from Ahuriri to Rarotonga in 60 knot northerly gusts last Thursday the waka Te Matau a Maui has spent the past two days almost becalmed northeast of New Zealand.

"They're only making about two knots - it's warm and pretty still," Te Matau a Maui Voyaging Trust administrator Michelle Smith said.

"The sort of weather I like but not the sort of weather they want."

As the skipper of the waka, Hana-Lee Kereru-Wainohu, said on a Facebook posting on Sunday - "has been a very windless night and morning - plenty of stars for navigation".

She said it meant for a time of drying gear, doing some fishing to bolster the food stocks, get in some kapa haka practice and go through the methods of traditional navigation.

"The crew is all good," she added.

The waka, which has travelled more than 400km northwest into the Pacific, is heading for Rarotonga as part of a four-waka fleet sailing from Rarotonga for the Te Manava Festival which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cook Island self-governance.

The other three waka sailed from Auckland and Mrs Smith said they were on track to meet up with Te Matau a Maui in the next few days.

All are steering a course for Rarotonga using traditional navigation techniques of stars, the sun, the moon and the sea conditions.

A slower than anticipated voyage would create no water or food issues, Mrs Smith said.

"They have plenty aboard."

While the voyage is expected to take between two to three weeks, depending on conditions, the stocks aboard could cater for up to six weeks.

One of those aboard the waka taking part in her first voyage out of New Zealand waters is Pounamu Tipiwai-Chambers who is from Kaitaia but currently attends Karamu High School.

After being encouraged by friends to taste the waka hourua experience, she became one of the youth crew team last year.

The waka's skipper described her as "passionate about waka hourua" having attended several crew training nights, as well as day and overnight sails in the bay.

Ms Tipiwai-Chambers said she was thrilled to have achieved her first goal of sailing the coast from Napier to Christchurch in February and was now enjoying achieving her second goal of sailing the open Pacific.