A brotherhood for the Queen's flotilla

Kaitaia man Kevin Harrison has been paddling waka since the late 1990s. Now, at 21, he has much to look forward to, but already his passion has taken him to the Netherlands, and later this week he will join 13 other kaihoe on perhaps the biggest stage of all.

Kevin will be among the crew of 14 that will take the ceremonial waka taua Te Hono ki Aotearoa/The Link to New Zealand on to the River Thames for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Saturday (UK time).

Kevin was introduced to paddling through his whanau, and going to Waitangi. What he found most enjoyable was "the brotherhood with other kaihoe and the opportunities that waka provides".

"Being a kaihoe means I'm meeting new people and going to different places, which helps me to understand myself."

Te Hono ki Aotearoa will be one of more than 1000 vessels in the flotilla taking part in the four-hour formal procession, one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the river.

The crew began their training at the end of March, including three wananga in Hamilton. They trained on the Waikato River with the waka taua Whakangi, carved from the same 800-year-old tree that Te Hono ki Aotearoa was crafted from.

As well as time on the river, the wananga involved gym work, road running, haka and waiata practices, intense weekends of learning and training.

The Toi Maori waka taua Te Hono ki Aotearoa is on permanent loan to the Volkenkunde Museum in Leiden, the Netherlands. It was built as a Waka for Europe, to be used as a vehicle to promote Maori arts, culture and New Zealand at events throughout the continent.

The involvement of the waka in the Diamond Jubilee pageant has been funded by the New Zealand Government. Officials from Te Puni Kokiri, Te Manatu Taonga (the Ministry for Culture and Heritage), the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet have assisted with arrangements.

Kevin was in the kaihoe crew at the waka handover ceremony in Leiden in October 2010, but this is his first trip to London, and he's looking forward to paddling on the River Thames.

"It will give me an idea of what London is like, and rowing on different waters is an experience," he said.

Rutene Gabel, son of Nga Waka Federation chairman Robert Gabel, has more idea of what to expect. He was a member of the crew when Te Hono ki Aotearoa was presented to the Volkenkunde Museum in 2010, and again last year when it graced the River Thames as part of the City of London Festival.

Rutene has paddled for 20 years, following his father and his involvement with the waka houora Te Aurere. Hawaiian navigators held wananga on Rutene's papakainga at Aurere, Doubtless Bay, teaching traditional Polynesian and celestial navigation techniques.

For Rutene the enjoyment of paddling is multi-dimensional.

"There is a physical, spiritual and mental element of being a kaihoe," he said.

"Paddling, especially in a waka tupuna, gives you spiritual and mental sustenance, and the mental toughness to complete any task at hand.

"Waka revolves around kaihoe paddling together as one. To paddle as one is a spectacular sight; to not paddle as one can have grave consequences.

"Waka paddling gives me a balance. Waka ama gives me the physical fitness to do anything, to be in great condition at all times. Waka taua gives me the cultural and tikanga sustenance that is important in today's society.

"Waka releases me from the everyday pressures such as work and university studies."

The royal pageant crew will also include 23-year-old Kororareka man Pomana Taniwha, who said his friends greeted the news that he had been selected with "mean Maori mean!".