On Wednesday 22nd of May a group of Year 10's attended a trip to see the waka Hinemoana.

We were taught a bunch of different skills and the group were given the opportunity to put out the sails on the waka. We sailed out into the bay, while we were out sailing each of the students were given jobs. The main job was controlling the two main sails, while one student was steering the waka with the hoe. 

We also got to take a look at the inside of the waka where a crew of 20 people can sleep. The inside of the waka was very cramped!  As well as going on the waka we also learned about the compass the voyagers used to know the time and where they were in the sea. Parts of the compass were split into different whare which helped voyagers know the direction in which they are going and things to look out for in the ocean. Some of the whare were the main directions - North is Raki, West is Tomokanga, South is Tonga, and East is Whitinga. 

We were also taught to tie a variety of different knots, being a stopper, bowline, and reef knot. These are used very often on the waka to hold sails in particular positions and make sure the rope wasn’t all over the deck. Over the whole course of the day it was a very fun opportunity to experience and learn more about my cultures.

Keanu Milne (Ngāpuhi)