Waka in Abel Tasman – Māori Traveling
Aotearoa is full of the rich history of the Māori people. Traveling to its’ shores over seven hundred years ago, explore the ship that helped them get here.
Traveling by canoe, or waka, is a popular tourist pastime on the shores of Abel Tasman National Park. Although, it used to be the primary method of travel for the Māori of Aotearoa. Sea voyaging has long been at the heart of Māori culture, finding its’ roots in the ancestral voyage made from Hawaiki to Aotearoa. Almost all Māori can trace their ancestry back to those traveling on the first few waka that arrived on New Zealand’s untouched shores. Waka evolved as travel in the Pacific extended its’ reach further and further. The canoes soon became double hulled and sported large sails, intended to increase the number of people a waka could carry as well as the distance it could travel before those on board ran out of food and water. These waka were first recorded in European history during Captain Cook’s maiden voyage to New Zealand in 1769 (Barclay-Kerr, 2006).
As mentioned above, these canoes were intended to carry up to several dozen individuals, depending on their varying size. Both function and necessity were considered when creating these works of art. The largest waka were known as Waka Taua, created for transporting war parties and holding up to a hundred people at one time. They were often ornately adorned and elaborately carved. Smaller Waka Tētē were shorter in length and simple in design. They had very little religious sanctity and could be used for basic transport as well as trade purposes (Barclay-Kerr, 2006). Many other kinds of waka exist, although those two were the most common. Due to the natural abundance of waterways and timber, waka continued into the 20th century to be the primary choice of transportation by Māori natives. Waka were entirely carved from wood, timber selected from trees across the entirety of Aotearoa. The most common timber of choice was Tōtara, chosen for both its’ size and general abundance. Other wood was also used including Mangeao, Rimu, Kahikatea, Mataī, and Kauri on the North Island (Barclay-Kerr, 2006).
Traveling in waka, whether traditionally or through tourist companies, the canoes present an opportunity for people to deeply connect with the landscape of Abel Tasman. Skimming across the top of the azure-blue waters, it forces a viewer to garner a deeper appreciation for the coastal terrain. As tourists we may never fully grasp the deep connection that Māori have to their sea-voyaging roots. However, taking a waka voyage may be the next best thing. As we’ve all heard before, to know a man you need to walk a mile in his shoes. In this case we chose to “waka” mile in their waters.
References;
Hoturoa Barclay – Kerr, ‘Waka – canoes’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/waka-canoes/print (accessed June 6, 2024).