Four waka hourua arrived at Kaiteriteri to kick off the third instalment of the Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Festival early on Saturday morning.
It is the largest waka fleet to arrive in the area in centuries and the first time the festival has been held in the South Island.
Established in 2021 to support kaupapa waka through an organised establishment, Te Hau Kōmaru aims to raise awareness and educate people about the cultural significance and history of waka hourua: double-hulled craft of the kind used by the first Polynesian settlers around 800 years ago.
Hundreds of spectators gathered at dawn to witness the approaching waka hourua, many seeing them for the first time.
The four waka and their crew were welcomed by pōwhiri from mana whenua of Te Tau Ihu o te Waka a Māui, including Ngāti Rārua, Te Ati Awa and Ngāti Toa.
Festival co-chairperson Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr said the crowd were "overwhelmed" with the scale of the waka and the fleet entering the harbour.
"It's really significant to be able to bring the festival and all these waka hourua to Te Tau Ihu, to continue our mahi of protecting and bringing awareness to kaupapa waka."
Iwi representative Barney Thomas said the festival is a unifying experience.
"This is such an important kaupapa, to recognise that our ancestors came by waka. Our eight iwi of Te Tau Ihu are descendants of three of the great migration waka — Tainui, Tokomaru and Kurahaupō."
Glossary
kaupapa - topic, policy, matter for discussion, programme, theme
Te Tau Ihu - Nelson/Marlborough region
waka hourua - double-hulled canoe
SHARE ME