Two navigators graduate on Pacific voyage as waka hourua heads home

The waka hourua Te Matau a Māui is expected to reach Ahuriri / Napier at 10:00am this Thursday 22 October, after a voyage lasting two and a half months.

Two siblings, Rapihana Hawaikirangi and Te Pō Hawaikirangi-Willison, graduated as traditional celestial navigators for Ngāti Kahungunu during the voyage. The iwi describes this as one of the voyage’s most significant achievements.

Ngāti Kahungunu says the return of the waka marks the end of a big voyage and also “the continuation of an ancient tradition that remains alive and relevant today”, said the iwi in its media release.

Their training was guided and mentored by traditional celestial navigator Piripi Smith. The siblings finished their graduation requirements while at sea, which the iwi calls an important milestone for ancestral Pacific navigation.

The voyage

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated owns Te Matau a Māui, and the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust operates it. The waka has sailed thousands of nautical miles along traditional Pacific voyaging routes, using traditional celestial navigation.

The voyage went from Ahuriri (Napier) to Poutasi, Upolu, Samoa, then on to Savai’i, Samoa. The waka then sailed from Samoa to Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji, and from Fiji to Whangārei. The final leg was from Whangārei to Ahuriri.

The voyage is called Te Hokinga Takitimu (“The Return”). It honours the ancestral voyaging pathways of the great waka Takitimu, and it links Ngāti Kahungunu with many iwi across Aotearoa and the Pacific.

The iwi says the voyage has strengthened cultural connections between Aotearoa, Samoa and Fiji. Crew from those countries joined the return voyage, including three crew members from Fiji who are part of the sailing Vaka ‘Uto ni Yalo.

One crew member from Samoa, who is part of the Gaulofa Va’a from the Samoan Voyaging Society, also sailed. The voyage will continue in 2028 and include The Cook Islands and the Tahitian Islands.

How to join the welcome

The community is invited to join the welcome on the water and on land. The homecoming ceremony will be held on the grass area near the Pandora bridge, Napier Sailing Club, in front of the te waka herenga floating pontoon.

Members of the public are invited to attend the pōwhiri. The Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust will share updates on the arrival time through its social media channels as it monitors the weather.