A western Bay of Plenty iwi is reviving its waka traditions through building and launching waka on the Kaituna River and its waterways.
The Kaituna River runs from Lake Rotoiti to the Maketū Estuary at a length of 50km.
Last year, Tapuika iwi launched a waka tētē – a smaller, nimble canoe compared to the traditional war or ceremonial canoes – named Te Tauihu o Te Rangi on their ancestral river, marking the return of waka for the first time in a century.
Now they are nearing the completion of a second waka tētē.
The initiative is part of a project that aims to teach waka building skills to the next generation with the aspiration of reconnecting the people to the river.
Their goal is to build a waka for each of the four hapū of Tapuika – Ngāti Tūheke, Ngāti Marukūkere, Ngāti Kurī, and Ngāti Moko – as well as a waka taua for the iwi.
Spokesperson Rawiri Biel said Te Tauihu o Te Rangi was built for Ngāti Tuheke, and the second is for Ngāti Marukūkere.
“Nō reira ka kotahi mai anō te hapū ki te rewa tēnei waka, ki te māunu tēnei waka, kia kotahi mai anō, hei whakapikinga ora anō mā te iwi.”
(“So hapū will come together again to launch this waka, to float it, to reunite and reinvigorate the iwi.”)
He said seeing waka back on the river is a significant event and last year’s launch was momentous.
“I tupu mai ai mātou i runga i ngā kōrero mō ngā waka maha i runga i te awa, i runga anō hoki ngā repo i konei i aua wā. Ngā wā o te waipuke kua mate rā hoki ngā tupuna te eke waka kia tae atu ki tētahi wāhi whenua, ki tētahi wāhi māra. Nā, mā runga te waka tonu tērā hanga.”
(“We grew up on stories about how there use to be heaps of waka on the river, and in the swampy areas in those times too. During flooding, our ancestors had to paddle from one bit of land to another, or to that garden. They did that by waka.”)
Waka builder Haimona Brown said a waka tētē is a ‘waka tangata’, meaning it’s a canoe for people and their everyday use.
“Ngā mahi o te tangata ko te hī ika, ko te rēhi, ko te mahi i ngā kūpenga mō ngā tuna. Heoi anō rā, haria ngā mokopuna ki te awa hei kaukau.”
(“What people did was fish, race, set nets to catch eels. They were used to take kids to the river for a swim too.”)
He said a waka tētē had many other names, but its primary purpose? “He waka kotahi tangata” – a waka to bring people together.
The waka for Ngāti Marukūkere is set to launch on November 14.
