It's one big family at sea

During her long journey under sail, Wanganui woman Hannah Rainforth found that Polynesian sailors of the Pacific Ocean make up a big family that is united in its efforts and beliefs.
Miss Rainforth was one of 16 crew on Te Matau o Maui, a double-hulled traditional waka hourua. The boat, with six other traditional waka, is midway through a voyage that circles the Pacific, reviving an ancient art and highlighting ocean pollution.
The voyage is called Te Mana o te Moana and Dieter Paulmann, from Germany, is recording it in a documentary.
Miss Rainforth left Auckland on April 17 and returned to Wanganui on July 1.
Her journey had three legs, the first ending with a week in Fakarava, French Polynesia, the second ending with a week in Nukuhiva in the French Marquesas, and the third ending with two weeks' sailing between Hawaiian Islands.
Maori speakers were able to communicate and understand the customs of the Polynesian people at each destination. The wakas got a huge welcome at every port of call, especially in Hawaii.
"It really meant a lot to them that we had come. They've been revitalising traditional voyaging for 30 years, leading the way. For us to come back to them was a real lifting of their spirits," Ms Rainforth said.
She left the waka there and was replaced by Awhina Twomey, also from Whanganui, who is now sailing towards Oregon in the United States.
At Hawaii, crews of the seven waka took part in a conference about ocean health.
Ms Rainforth left before that, but said her fellow sailors would have brought a lot of emotion to it, especially those from islands affected by sea-level rise, falling fish stocks and the death of coral.
"There were people who have been sailing for years and years, who wanted to talk about what the ocean means to them and what's happened in their lifetime."
She didn't see the north Pacific "garbage gyre" herself, but has looked at internet pictures of young seabirds dead because their parents have fed them on small pieces of plastic rubbish.
Learning to sail, becoming part of the crew family and being on the ocean were all great pluses.
On the minus side, while there were some days when the crew could wear singlets and shorts, there was a lot of time spent in overalls and raincoats, wet and cold.
The first leg was especially difficult, with strong winds and high seas for two weeks.
The waka didn't capsized, but it felt as if would.
"We were wet a lot of the time for the whole trip. There are waves coming over the side, and waves coming up through the cracks."
By the final leg, Te Matau o Maui was using only traditional navigation techniques: the stars, sun position at sunrise, wind and wave direction. The only motors used were solar-powered, rather than burning carbon-emitting fossil fuels.