Stirring welcome for waka crew

The Hawaiian waka Hokule'a and crew arrive in Napier.

It may not have been the smoothest sea to arrive on but the crew of the world circumnavigating waka Hokule'a had been in choppier waters and were delighted to make landfall in Hawke's Bay yesterday.

The Hawaiian crew, along with several guest crew, were greeted with a stirring powhiri by Ngati Kahungunu at the waka's moorings in the inner harbour. The Polynesian Voyaging Society-run waka arrived ahead of schedule on Tuesday night as they wanted to put a member of the crew who had taken ill ashore.

With the official greeting scheduled for 3pm yesterday they spent their "unofficial" landing time preparing the Hokule'a to set sail for open waters again the following day - and then arrived on the pre-scheduled time.

While easterly-driven seas made it a bumpy run in, the skies were clear and the breezes warm.

"Didn't want rain," Piripi Smith, from the host Te Matau a Maui Trust said.

The waka was built in Hawaii in 1975 and became the blueprint for several more which were built over the following years.

The Ahuriri-based waka, Te Matau a Maui, which was built six years ago, is taken from the original "mother ship" template.

Mr Smith said the arrival was significant as for many it was likely to be the first and possibly last time Ngati Kahungunu would host the Hokule'a and its crew.

Among local kaumatua who joined the 300 people gathered to watch the Hokule'a arrive was Tom Mulligan.

"This is pretty special - it's quite something," he said.

Te Matau a Maui led the Hokule'a in and its expert crew used ropes and the huge rudder/oar to get it tied up.

It was welcomed by song from the dockside and the visiting crew were clearly impressed.

Since its maiden voyage to Tahiti in 1976, using only traditional navigation and sailing techniques, it has completed nine other major voyages through Polynesia, Micronesia, Japan, Canada and the United States.

In May 2014 the Hokule'a set sail on its most ambitious voyage - a three-year circumnavigation of the world where it will cover 47,000 nautical miles with stops at 85 ports in 26 different countries.

With Napier the host port for one of the few wakas still voyaging, it was always planned to call in there.

Mr Smith said it was a huge honour, and great thrill for the trust, to host the Hawaiian visitor and its crew, who would be staying at the Kohupatiki Marae in Clive until the February 1 or 2 departure.

As Mr Smith pointed out, its schedules were determined by the weather as it relied simply on traditional sail power only.