He kitenga kanohi, he hokinga mahara, he kōanga ngākau, he tānga manawa.
In this week's throwback from 1992, we see Māori voyager Tā Hekenukumai (Hector) Busby and his crew preparing the double-hulled waka Te Aurere for its first voyage to Rarotonga.
The waka hourua was built from 1991 to 1992. It consisted of two giant kauri trees sourced from the Herekino State Forest by Busby who was recognised across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa as one of the leading master carvers of traditional waka.
After 24 days of voyaging and many obstacles of wild weather, on October 22nd, 1992, Busby and his crew successfully made it to Rarotonga.
They used traditional voyaging skills, such as using the stars, moon, sun, wind, birds, and wave patterns to navigate their way to the Cook Islands, with the intention to restore traditional skills.
Since its first sail to Rarotonga, the waka has sailed over the Pacific to Hawai'i, Tahiti, Marquesas, New Caledonia, and Norfolk Island.
He tohu maumahara ki a Tā Hekenukumai (Hector) Busby
He Tānga Manawa is a rebooted weekly online series from Te Karere that delves into a rich history of Māori news dating back 40 years. Last week we threw it back to Kiingi Tuheitia's first Koroneihana in 2007, this week’s report dates further back to 1992.
Glossary
waka – canoe
waka hourua – traditional double-hulled canoe
Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa – Pacific Ocean
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