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Home / Northern Advocate

Santa trades his sleigh for a waka

By Peter de Graaf
Northern Advocate·
16 Dec, 2016 07:30 PM2 mins to read

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You know you're in Northland when Hana Koko (Santa) arrives by waka ama. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF

You know you're in Northland when Hana Koko (Santa) arrives by waka ama. PHOTO / PETER DE GRAAF

You know you're in Northland when Santa arrives by waka ama with a United Tribes flag flying proudly from the back of his canoe.

For the second year in a row Hana Koko (that's Santa Claus in te reo Maori) traded his sleigh and reindeer for a waka paddled by elves.

See full photo gallery here:

Image 1 of 18:

The big man - who had lost a lot of weight since last year and bore a striking resemblance to a local police officer - landed on the beach in front of Waitangi's Te Tii Marae, where kids were already queuing in anticipation by a seat decorated with Maori motifs.

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"Ho ho ho! Meri Kirihimete," he called, as he hitched up his trousers and waded to shore, then started the serious business of handing out gifts. Thanks to some elf overtime in the toy factory, every child was able to line up twice for a present.

Hana Koko's visit on Thursday evening was organised by members of the Waitangi Waka Ama Club, who also put on a beachfront barbecue.

One of the parents, Jan Roberts, said it was an "only in Waitangi" way of bringing people together.

"We're all paddling in the same waka," she said.

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Hana Koko said he was keen to come back next Christmas because Waitangi made the Bay of Islands special. Explaining his choice of transport, he said: "Well, for a start we lost the reindeer, but coming to Waitangi by waka just seemed the right thing to do."

Meanwhile, police Youth Aid officer Rob Cameron, who helped get the club off the ground, said police had developed a close partnership with Waitangi through waka ama, but with that came a responsibility to help out when needed.

"A lot of people won't have the happy Christmas it should be. We've got people here who are struggling to get by and feed their children, who're paying really high rents. It's a real concern," he said.

Mr Cameron also teaches waka ama to the pupils of Paihia School, some of whom had never been on the water despite living right next to it. As well as getting exercise and a chance to experience the Bay the children learnt about the significance of waka and "where they come from and who they are".

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Santa ditches sleigh, arrives by waka instead

16 Dec 11:00 PM
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