The sails of a traditional Pacific Island Waka catamaran seen from water level
Te Kumete O Te Mona Nui regatta for four Vaka. On Sunday April 11th four vaka sailed in Te Kumete O Te Moana Nui, a regatta in the Waitemata Harbour. On Wednesday April 14th (weather permitting)they will leave Auckland for a Pacific Ocean Voyage to French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. In 2011 seven vaka will unite in Auckland to undertake a longer pan-Pacific voyage to Hawaii via French Polynesia. A fleet of vaka has not set sail across the Pacific for more than 1,000 years. The vaka, all built in Auckland, successfully blend traditional Pacific craftsmanship with modern boatbuilding techniques. This melding of the modern and traditional is a metaphor for of how we should treat our environment – linking the past with the future and reconnecting the Pacific peoples utilising the best of every culture and generation. It‟s time to make a change. The events‟ aim is therefore to raise awareness of the environmental issues that face the Pacific Ocean, as well as recapture traditional Pacific voyaging skills and re-establish cultural links between the countries that share the Pacific. The vaka make up an informal network of voyaging societies, (The Pacific Voyager‟s Network), involving New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Tonga, Vanuatu and Western Samoa. The network is supported by Okeanos, a German-based philanthropic organisation formed with the objective of protecting the world‟s oceans and marine life. The four vaka taking part in Sunday‟s regatta and the 2010 ocean voyage are: Te Matua a Maui (New Zealand crew), Hine Moana (Western Samoa, Vanuatu, Tongan crew), Uto Ni Yalo (Fijian crew) and Maramaru Atua (Cook Islands crew). Once in Tahiti a full Tahitian crew on Faafaite will join the fleet. Two further vaka (making a total of seven) have also been built and will take part in the 2011 voyage. 11/4/2010
Size: 5500px × 3653px
Photo credit: © Chris Cameron / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: boat, cloudy, underwater, yacht
