Another historic voyage begins

A new chapter in seafaring history will begin tomorrow morning when two double-hulled voyaging canoes from New Zealand leave the Auckland Viaduct bound for Rapa Nui (Easter Island), using only wind and traditional navigation techniques to get there.

Both waka hourua were built by Hekenukumai (Hec) Busby at Aurere. Mr Busby, widely regarded as the world's greatest living builder of waka and unrivalled in his knowledge of ancient Polynesian navigation, will farewell the crews tomorrow, and hopes to be there to greet them when they reach Rapa Nui in six to 10 weeks' time.

A total of 23 sailors will use only the stars, moon, sun, currents, birds and marine life to guide them across 10,000 nautical miles of open ocean. Te Aurere will be tapu on the outward voyage, and will be crewed only by men, but the second waka, named for Mr Busby's late wife Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti, will carry both men and women.

Far Northerners making the voyage include Moko Henare (Cable Bay), Brian Wiki (Kaitaia), Rahi Tamati (Ahipara) and Haimona Brown (Kaitaia).

The waka will be guided out of Waitemata Harbour at 11.30am by a flotilla of Navy vessels, waka taua (war canoes) and other waka hourua.

Karl Johnstone, director of the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua (which has organised the voyage, Waka Tapu, in partnership with Te Tai Tokerau Tarai Waka), said the sight would be spectacular.

Hundreds of spectators, along with dignitaries from Maoridom and politics, and a delegation from Hawaii, were expected to be there.

"Sailing is part of this nation's psyche, history and culture," Mr Johnstone said.

"Waka Tapu will inspire New Zealanders all around the world. It will go down in history as one of our great maritime achievement stories."

The voyage, 20 years in the planning, would retrace the course taken by the ancestors of Maori when they first travelled across the Pacific to make their home in New Zealand. It would also close the final corner of the Polynesian Triangle, defined by Hawaii in the north, Aotearoa in the south and Rapa Nui in the east.

The canoes' voyage can be followed on the websites www.wakatapu.com or www.teaurere.org.nz, while messages can be sent to the crews by email to te.aurere@xtra.co.nz.