Waikato Museum celebrates 200-year-old waka Te Winika

Te Winika made her final journey on the Waikato River in July 1973. Photo / Supplied

By Kelvin McDonald of Whakaata Maori

The majestic 200-year-old waka, Te Winika, celebrates 50 years of residence at Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato this weekend.

Te Winika was gifted to the city of Hamilton by Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu on 8 July 1973.

It’s estimated that millions of visitors have seen the intricately carved waka taua (war canoe) since the museum became kaitiaki.

“She is prominently positioned with a view over the Waikato River, to keep alive her connection to te awa tuupuna (the river) and iwi,” Waikato Museum’s Director of Museum and Arts Liz Cotton said in a release.

“Te Winika is admired by every visitor who comes here, whether they are tangata whenua with whaanau connections to Te Winika, or an overseas traveller eager to learn about our unique heritage.”

Hamilton City Council kaumātua Tame Pokaia also expressed his admiration for Te Winika and the expert carvers who came together to restore the waka.

“Te Winika is a powerful symbol of our connection to each other and the Kirikiriroa. Kotahi te koowhao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro maa, te miro pango, te miro whero – there is but one eye of the needle, through which the white, the black and the red threads must pass. I remember the words of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, that we must look after the needle that binds us together, so it doesn’t get rusty.”

On Saturday, the short film Te Winika Memories along with rarely seen images from the waka’s final journey on the awa will be screened next to Te Winika.

A brief history of Te Winika

In 1836 a massive tōtara tree that stood near Port Waikato was felled to create the kaunaroa (central hull) for the waka taua, which was collectively built by craftspeople from Ngāti Tipa of Tuakau, Ngāti Maru of Hauraki, and Ngāti Māhanga of the western coastline of the Waikato, the museum said.

In the fork of the tree grew a type of orchid known as ‘te winika’ which blooms with masses of white and green star-shaped flowers, evoking the huia feathers worn by high-ranking rangatira. This led to the auspicious name being given to the waka taua that served Māori royalty for many purposes, from transport to ceremonial duties.

Following the 1863 invasion of the Waikato and the tumultuous era of the New Zealand Land Wars, Te Winika was dismantled and hidden to avoid destruction by imperial and colonial troops. In the following century, she was restored and became a symbol of the Kīngitanga, thanks to the Waikato waka renaissance led by Te Puea Herangi during the 1930s.

On 8 July 1973, Te Winika embarked on her final voyage up the Waikato River, escorted by other waka taua from the Kīngitanga: Tūmanako, Te Rangatahi, and Tāheretikitiki II.