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King Tuheitia is traveling on the Waikato River from Ngaruawahia to Waahi Marae at Huntly by waka taua this morning.
It’s to commemorate the anniversary of the coronation of his grandfather Koroki as the fifth Maori king in 1933.
It’s also the date for the annual Waahi marae poukai, which starts at 10am this morning.
A spokesperson says the river journey acknowledges the tribe’s cultural and spiritual connection to its tupuna awa – Waikato River.
It will highlight the unresolved rights and interests of Maori to freshwater in the light of the Government’s proposal to sell state-owned assets which use water as a primary resource.
The flotilla, which will include tribal leaders from throughout the Tainui region, should be halting about 7am at Taupiri for karakia alongside the tribe’s ancestral burial grounds.
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