Anzac day has been marked in the Far North with celebrations of the naval variety.
At Te Aurere today a waka tētē built by Hekenukumai Busby was launched by its new owners, Te Kāpehu Whetū school. He Puna Mārama Trust purchased the waka for $100,000 after it was put up for sale by the legendary boat builder to raise funds for his traditional ocean navigation school.
In addition to the waka launch was a launch of a different variety. “Not Here By Chance”, the biography written by Jeff Evans on the esteemed Te Rarawa elder, tohunga tārai waka and celestial navigator was made available to the public today. The book is an exciting look at the life of the man who is responsible for the completion of more than a dozen waka tauā and the revival of traditional ocean navigation in NZ.
Furthermore the Hawaiian ocean voyaging waka, Hōkule’a and Hikianali’a departed on the next leg of their Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. The crews of the two waka have in been NZ these past months promoting environmental awareness. From here the waka will sail to Sydney, before sailing north around the coast to Darwin.
Heeni Brown has the full report on Te Kāea, 5.30pm.