Māori and Pākehā sailing heritage celebrated in Northland

The Hinemoana.

Twenty-four rangatahi from Te Tai Tokerau have been given a unique opportunity to sail two completely different sailing vessels: a tall ship and a waka hourua.

Rere Tahi is a joint venture between the Te Toki Voyaging Trust, run by Hoturoa Kerr and the R. Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust.

Te Toki Voyaging Trust’s founder Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr said: “After the successful cooperation of sailing together during Tuia 250 celebrations, we are happy to be working alongside R. Tucker Thomson, her crew, and all the sponsors that made this possible.”

The crew set out from Kororāreka in the Bay of Islands and sailed around the region for a total of eight days.

Hinemoana captain John-Reid Willison says the journey was an opportunity for rangatahi to learn the ropes.

“Our leaders named this voyage Rere Tahi, as in Fly Together, and here we are flying together.

“For the majority of this week, they sailed together and learned together. The hope is that they will go out into the world as guardians of the ocean.”

One of the keen sailors was Zhynaliyah Harris, who says sailing on Hinemoana was a dream come true for her. She says sailing in a waka hourua was the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I really like the people on here; it feels so much like a whānau, and it’s full-on and you’re not stopping; you always have to be ready to do something and all the whanaunga talk and that.”