Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Local Focus: Waka experience a key to learning

Delilah Whaitiri
By Delilah Whaitiri
Video Journalist, Rotorua, NZH Local Focus ·NZ Herald·
9 Mar, 2021 08:34 PMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Rotorua Primary School learn about ancestors. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Students from Rotorua Primary School were given a once-in-a-lifetime experience aboard a waka last week in Maketū.

For many it was the highlight of their three-week stay at Tapiti Marae.

The group of around 280 leave the marae armed with a new understanding of their ancestors and the Te Arawa whakapapa.

"We're visiting significant places around Maketu like Pukemarie Pa and Kotukutuku Gully," facilitator Layla Rask said.

"Up at the surf club, it tells us how big the Te Arawa waka was, so learning the names of the anchors."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Students from Years 1 to 8 were taught the journey of Te Arawa waka and its captain Tama-te-kapua.

"We've started here in Maketū as this is the ihu (bow) of the Te Arawa waka," Rask said.

"We live in Rotorua which is the takere (hull) of the waka and hopefully next year we'll be going to Tongariro which is the kei o te waka (stern)."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The experience of paddling a double-hulled canoe was a fundamental part of the teachings.

"We learned about how we paddled, so inside out, inside out," student Nixon Hubbard said.

"We learned about Ehinga and his journeys, and about the marae."

Made with funding from

Discover more

Kahu

Local Focus: Cousins world premiere held in Rotorua

03 Mar 06:44 PM
Media and marketing

Local Focus: Roto-vegas or Roto-wood?

11 Mar 10:55 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

'Efficient and sustainable': $220m expansion at geothermal station '90%' complete

Rotorua Daily Post

Teen charged with murder of Rotorua kapa haka performer

Premium
Rotorua Daily Post

First XV rugby Top Four finalists decided


Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Efficient and sustainable': $220m expansion at geothermal station '90%' complete
Rotorua Daily Post

'Efficient and sustainable': $220m expansion at geothermal station '90%' complete

Annual output would power 158,000 homes, exceeding Christchurch’s residential total.

30 Aug 06:01 PM
Teen charged with murder of Rotorua kapa haka performer
Rotorua Daily Post

Teen charged with murder of Rotorua kapa haka performer

29 Aug 06:22 AM
Premium
Premium
First XV rugby Top Four finalists decided
Rotorua Daily Post

First XV rugby Top Four finalists decided

29 Aug 06:13 AM


Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet
Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

10 Aug 09:12 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP