Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival on-water programme

21 January 2016

Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival on-water programme

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

The free, family-friendly festival takes place at The Cloud, Queens Wharf and on water, from Saturday, 30 January – Monday, 1 February.

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 30 January, in the NZ Maritime Museum basin, with viewing space available on the western side of Princes Wharf.

Throughout the weekend, from Queens Wharf, people will have a chance to go for a free 45-minute ride on waka hourua (double-hulled, ocean-going sailing waka) Haunui and Aotearoa One (free tickets are available and must be collected from the festival information tent, in The Cloud). On Sunday, people can sign-up to paddle in waka (after a completing a dry-land paddle drill).

“Waka epitomise the spirit of this festival,” says festival Mana Whenua Steering Group Chair Hauauru 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.

“They also represent our more recent history, around 150 years ago, when Auckland Anniversary Weekend started with inter-tribal waka races. Saturday’s races will rejuvenate that, and indeed many of the paddlers will be descendants of the tribes who took part in those historic races.

“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 19 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.”

The festival is also a chance to see one of the mana whenua tribe’s waka tauā, Te Kotūiti, on the Waitematā. It is thought to be the only active waka tauā (traditional war canoe) in the Tāmaki Makaurau region.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) General Manager Destination, Vivien Sutherland Bridgwater says the festival will give many people the chance to experience waka for the first time.

“This is a great opportunity for people of all backgrounds to have a go at paddling a waka, get a taste at what the great Māori navigators would have experienced on the ocean-going sailing vessels, see the majestic waka tauā Te Kotūiti Tuarua in action, and see the excitement of the tribal teams fighting it out on the water.”

Waka rides are free, but tickets for specific time slots will be required. Tickets for waka hourua will be available from the information tent in The Cloud, and registration for having a go at paddling a waka takes place in Karanga Plaza, Wynyard Quarter. The waka races on Saturday will take place in the NZ Maritime Museum basin between 10am and 4pm. Waka activity is subject to weather conditions.

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), whakawai (weaponry), art and healing.

There is a story-telling zone, featuring traditional and contemporary stories about Tāmaki Makaurau, as well as a ‘Koro Lounge’, where older visitors can chill out and have a complimentary cup of tea or coffee.

Auckland carving collective Whaotapu will be working on site throughout the weekend, while on Saturday, graf artists Bobby Hung and Kairau Bradley will paint two art towers. On Monday, Charles and Janine Williams will be running waka art workshops.

This celebration of the Māori heritage and culture of Tāmaki Makaurau is being produced by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) in close collaboration with the mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival is one of a host of exciting events happening on Auckland’s waterfront and harbour over Auckland Anniversary Weekend, including the ASB Auckland Seafood Festival; Ports of Auckland SeePort open weekend; St Jerome’s Laneway Festival; Silo Cinema and Silo Sessions; Auckland International Buskers Festival; Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta; HMNZS Wellington Open Day and Sunset Navy Concert; and the At The Beach - 100 Years of Summer Fashion exhibition, family activities and heritage vessels sailings in and around the NZ Maritime Museum.

What: Inaugural Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival
Where: Queens Wharf and on the water
When: Saturday 30 January - Monday 1 February 2016
Cost: Free entry

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