Recently, 19 students and three teachers had the amazing opportunity to participate in the 'Wayfinding For Life' waka hourua experience at Te Ana Marina in Whakaraupō, Lyttleton Harbour.  The Wayfinding For Life program provides a creative and cultural space for rangatahi to learn about and explore their cultural heritage through the lens of wayfinding as a navigational tool.  Throughout the day each group had the opportunity to participate in several different activities both on and off the water.

First up, we learned about the incredible navigational star compass and how it connects to the stories in Te Ao Māori.  The students learned the words for what they had previously known to be North, South, East, and West and what places represented these points on the compass.  Aotearoa is named 'Tonga' and is the southernmost point on the compass, which connects us to 'Mahutonga' or the Southern Cross.  Pasifika people used this as a navigational tool when sailing their waka across the ocean to New Zealand. 

After this we had a safety briefing and then went out on the water on the waka, which was named Hinemoana.  This waka has sailed all over the world including to San Francisco, Hawaii, Peru and all around the Pacific Islands.  While out on the harbour the students helped to let the sails out, tie them off, steer the waka, and then bring the sails in.  It was awesome to see them mucking in and getting involved, trying something new, and learning from and working together as a team with the Hinemoana crew.  After lunch the group came back together and learned how to tie sailing knots and played games in groups to test their knowledge and build whanaungatanga with each other.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Hinemoana crew, theTe Toki Voyaging Trust, and in particular Faumuina Felolini Maria Tafuna’i who leads the program.  It was an incredible experience that helped students and staff learn about new ways of seeing and knowing about the world around them.

Kalina Harmer-Campbell

Pasifika Co-ordinator

Article added: Thursday 06 June 2024