Waka races, waka sailings and chances to paddle a waka

Celebrate waka at the 2017 Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival

Fiercely competitive inter-tribal waka racing and the chance for festival-goers to paddle waka or sail on double-hulled waka hourua are all part of the 2017 Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival on Auckland’s waterfront, during Auckland Anniversary Weekend.

The free, family-friendly festival takes place at the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre and Basin, from Saturday, 28 to Monday, 30 January.

Teams made up of Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua (local tribes) and mataawaka (Māori living in the Auckland region who are not Mana Whenua) will battle for supremacy in waka races on Saturday, 28 January, in the Viaduct Basin, with good viewing from the Viaduct’s Market Square and from Te Wero Island.

Throughout the weekend, people will have a chance to go for a 60-minute ride on waka hourua (double-hulled, ocean-going sailing waka) or can also register for an opportunity to paddle in waka tangata (after a completing a dry-land paddle drill).

The festival is also a chance to see the only active waka tauā (traditional war canoe) in the Tāmaki Makaurau region, Te Kotūiti. On Saturday, there will be the rare opportunity to learn more about traditional waka tikanga and paddle the waka tauā.

Festival-goers keen to paddle or sail in a waka are encouraged to get in early – the activities were so popular during the first Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival in 2016 that the experiences booked out quickly. Waka tangata experiences are free, a koha is appreciated for the waka tauā experiences and waka hourua sailings cost $10 per adult and $5 per child.

Tickets and waka registrations are available at the festival information tent, outside the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre. Waka activity is subject to capacity and weather conditions.

“Waka epitomise the spirit of this festival,” says festival Mana Whenua Steering Group Chair Hau Rawiri. “Waka represent our heritage – how we navigated to Aotearoa and the indigenous knowledge we held to make that journey. They give Māori a sense of identity and make an important statement about Māori participation in the life of the nation.

“They also represent our more recent history, around 150 years ago, when Auckland Anniversary Weekend started with inter-tribal waka races. The festival’s races will rejuvenate that, and indeed many of the paddlers will be descendants of the tribes who took part in those historic races. This is an important step in restoration of the mana of the tribes of Tāmaki,” says Hau Rawiri.

“Perhaps most importantly, waka also represent focusing on a common goal or destination and working together to achieve that. The kaupapa of this event is one of mahi ngātahi, an unprecedented collaboration between the Mana Whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau and ATEED.

“As a central part of the festival, celebrating waka Māori lets us look at how we bring people together, to paddle in the same direction, for Māori and for the city of Auckland – how do we work together achieve our aspirations.”

ATEED General Manager Destination, Vivien Sutherland Bridgwater says the festival will give many people the chance to experience waka for the first time.
“Festival-goers of all backgrounds embraced the chance to have a go at paddling a waka, to get a taste at what the great Māori navigators would have experienced on the ocean-going sailing vessels and see the majestic waka tauā Te Kotūiti Tuarua in action, at last year’s festival. People need to get in quickly for tickets and bookings this time around.”

Waka hourua experiences are open to anyone over the age of five (children eight years old and under must each be accompanied by an adult), while waka tangata experiences are open to everyone over the age of eight. The waka tauā experience is open only to men over the age of 15, a restriction to respect the traditional waka tikanga – rules around waka use – that have been in place for many generations and are still observed today.

People wanting to paddle a waka need to have a reasonable level of mobility and fitness, to both paddle and to get safely in and out of the waka. People with disabilities should check with information tent staff before enrolling.

Visitors can also check out the NZ Maritime Museum waka and ocean-going voyaging galleries.

The Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival also includes an extensive musical programme by established and emerging Māori musicians, kapa haka, workshops on traditional Māori games, te reo Māori (Māori language), art and healing.

There is a story-telling zone, featuring stories from Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua, including story sessions from Whale Rider actor Rawiri Paratene.
Auckland Art Gallery will be running The Māori Portraits Pop-up Exhibition, with curator and descendent talks and Auckland Museum will be running its Story Lab where children and families can create their own stories.

This celebration of Māori heritage and culture of Tāmaki Makaurau is driven by Mana Whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau, in partnership with ATEED.

What: 2017 Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival
Where: ANZ Viaduct Events Centre and Basin
When: Saturday 28 – Monday 30 January
Cost: Free entry

Waka at the festival include:
- Te Kotūiti – waka tauā (war waka), Ngāti Paoa

- Haunui – waka haurua (double-hulled voyaging waka), managed by Te Toki Voyaging Trust for all iwi and owned by all nations.

- Two waka tangata (people’s waka), managed by Tāmaki Herenga Waka Trust on behalf of Mana Whenua of Tāmaki.

- Kahakura– waka tangata (people’s waka), managed by Te Wānanga O Aotearoa.

· The Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival is one of a host of exciting events happening on Auckland’s waterfront and harbour over Auckland Anniversary Weekend (Saturday 28 – Monday 30 January), including Ports of Auckland SeePort Festival and Sunset Symphony & Fireworks; Silo Cinema – Mayor’s Choice and Silo Sessions; Cloud Market on Queens Wharf and HMNZS Te Mana Navy Ship Open Day ; Auckland International Buskers Festival; Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta; family activities and heritage vessels sailings in and around the NZ Maritime Museum; and on Monday, enjoy walking and cycling on some traffic-free streets during Open Streets in Wynyard Quarter.

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