Te Aurere Waka Newsletter July 2004
Kia ora,
After a much needed break and requests to keep the letter going, we are back again with a new look and plenty of waka news. If you have something going on in your rohe (area) and you would like to tell us about it please contact me by any of the means at the bottom of this page.
At present there are two waka under construction here. As well as the waka hourua (ocean-going, double-hulled waka ), there is also a waka taua (war canoe) that is being carved for the people of Peria. This is being carved from a three-foot log but will end up having a six-foot beam? Hector has worked out a way of cutting the log that will give him more timber to play with. Progress has been good despite the wet weather. If they can"t work outside due to rain then a job is found that they can work on in the shed. There are often up to six people working here, three of them from Peria, who are eager to see their waka taking shape. Of course with winter and the rainy season upon us it may be necessary to erect the marquee over the waka so that work can continue, even if it is raining.
Te Aurere is still in Auckland, moored at the NZ National Maritime Museum in the Basin Reserve. Captain Stanley Conrad has been taking sails out for various business groups and also for some `Youth at Risk." It"s good to know that `Youth at Risk" are getting to know the waka as this is one of the most important items in our society"s kaupapa (plan). Also involved in some of these sailings has been Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and his waka Pu-mai-te-rangi, great to see these two men working together for the sake of our young. Over the school holidays there will be more sailings, weather permitting.
Our wananga program for 2004 is now over half way for the year. The next wananga in September will be in the form of a sail to Tauranga. Te Aurere is taking part in the festival being held there. After about a month the waka will be sailed back to Auckland where it will stay as part of the program to raise her profile. If you saw the opening of the Maori TV channel you would have seen those magnificent shots of Te Aurere taken from a helicopter. This was all part of the waka on-going program.
The planned trip to Rapa Nui has been put on the back burners. There has to be some serious fund-raising done before any planning can go ahead. The cost of flying crew around the Pacific will be phenomenal alone. Also the cost of food for about 30 people for three to four months will also be a big ticket item. We are hoping that some kind airline will help with the flying of crew but can"t see who would help with the food bill! One other huge cost will be that of an escort vessel. It would be a great trip if you have a large yacht and about four months to spare!
Hector and Gina are flying out to Palau from Auckland later this month. Hector is going as part of the Creative New Zealand delegation and Gina as Hector's assistant. The ninth Festival of Pacific Arts is taking place in Palau this year. It is held once every four years. For sometime now Te Aurere has attended these festivals but this is the wrong time of year for sailing so she is staying home. (Palau is on the American Island of Belau near Guam).
Over the last few weeks Hector has been giving and attending talks on Matariki in celebration of the Maori New Year. So far he has given talks in Totara North and Whangarei. Matariki is a cluster of stars which disappear below the horizon for a few weeks. Their reappearance, and the conditions at the time, indicates the type of year there will be i.e. if it will be a good year for crops. This group of stars is also known as the Pleaides.
Once again this year Hector attended the Festival of Canoes held in Maui, Hawai'i. This year beside the usual team of Hector, David Nauer and Eru Tepanea there were three carvers, Takirirangi Smith, Paki Wilson and Pahi O"Carroll. They were to undertake the mammoth task of carving a waka taua in two weeks! For a change they had a good log and they fully carved and painted their 38 foot waka in 12 days! Great going! This festival is growing in popularity and there were more teams than ever attending this year including a team from Japan. Ekahi Tours and The House of Fountains were the sponsors this year that did a great job.
That"s about it for now. We hope you enjoyed our new look newsletter. If you are thinking of taking a look at our web site please make sure you have a good virus detection system on your computer. We have been troubled by a virus that someone put on to our web site which we are trying to eradicate. A most embarrassing situation not brought on by us!
Take good care of yourselves.
Noho ora mai,
Michael Harding
This letter was brought to you with the kind help of Te Tai Tokerau Tarai Waka Inc.