April 12, 2024
Waka hourua thrill for tamariki
A crew member on the waka hourua Tairawhiti says this week’s Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Festival in Kaiteriteri is planting the seeds of indignineity in a new generation in Te Tau Ihu.
Crews from four of the ocean-going waka have been holdign wananga for schools and members of the public,
Te Aomihia Walker says can feel the excitement of the tamariki.
“For us it was just planting the seed of te ao Māori, of te ao whakatere waka, of Te Moananui a Kiwa, and if they took anything away like kupu or just a concept or just the word waka in itself and could go home and talk about it with their whānau,” she says.
The fesival ends on Sunday, but heavy rain coming up the West Coast means Tairawhiti may stay a few days longer before making the journey back across Cook Strait.