Siblings Te Kaha Hawaikirangi and Te Pō Mārie Hawaikirangi-Willison say they are honoured to navigate the waka across the Pacific.
Siblings Te Kaha Hawaikirangi and Te Pō Mārie Hawaikirangi-Willison say they are honoured to navigate the waka across the Pacific.
Two Napier siblings are preparing to navigate a waka and crew thousands of kilometres across the Pacific Ocean.
And, remarkably, they must do it in the same way as their ancestors - without any navigational instruments.
Ngāti Kahungunu iwi’s ocean-voyaging waka, Te Matau-a-Māui, is setting sail for the Pacific Islandsin September.
A crew of about 25 people will be involved in the voyage over two months, including sailing the double-hulled waka from Napier to Samoa, through the Samoan Islands to Fiji, then back to Aotearoa.
It was last sailed in the South Island around 1300AD.
A book about the Tākitimu waka was released last year and is now being used in schools.
Siblings Te Kaha and Te Pō on board the waka they will navigate across the Pacific. Photo / Supplied
Siblings Te Kaha Hawaikirangi and Te Pō Mārie Hawaikirangi-Willison are trainee navigators, learning from master navigator Piripi Smith.
During the upcoming voyage, Te Kaha has been tasked with navigating the waka from Napier to Samoa, and Te Pō will navigate it home from Fiji - voyages totalling over 5000km.
They must navigate the waka using the stars and the environment.
Te Po, who has been part of the crew since 2019, said it was an honour.
“Doing that leg, I’m not just representing myself, but I’m representing my hapū, I’m representing my iwi, and I’m representing, I guess, women as well, navigating as a wāhine Māori.
“So I consider myself very fortunate.”
Te Po said a big part of the voyage would be passing on knowledge when she returned home.
“It is all on the stars, the sun, the moon, the winds, the swells, the birds - using the elements of the environment to know where you are and where you are going.”
Te Kaha has five children and his family will meet him in Samoa.
Master navigator Smith said the waka could carry a crew of 15 at a time.
“At the moment we are going through training, and then we will do a selection process in June.”
He said about 25 crew would be involved for the voyage, including some rangatahi, with crew members able to rotate for different legs.
“Through ceremony, wānanga and kōrero with local communities, our crew will connect with whānau and villages who descend from [the Tākitimu] waka to hear their stories of Tākitimu that continue to be told today.”
The voyage is self-funded and the Te Matau-a-Māui waka, which is based at Ahuriri, is owned by Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc.
It is operated by Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust and was launched in 2009.
A substantial new home is being built for the waka, called the Waka Hub, next to the Napier Sailing Club.
Napier City Council confirmed a contract to build the jetty and pontoon was likely to be awarded soon.
“Design of the above-ground elements, including the education space, will be considered by council in the coming months,” a Napier City Council spokeswoman said.
