Updates on the arrival time will be shared through the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust social media channels as weather conditions are monitored.
The waka entering Poutasi Village in Samoa. Photo / Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust
The MetService forecast for Gisborne-Mahia was for easterly conditions of 10 knots turning southwest late on Monday and southerly 10 knots on Tuesday morning as the waka heads towards Hawke Bay, with a southerly swell of 1.5m rising to two metres.
The ceremony will be held on the grass area in front of the new te waka herenga floating pontoon moorings, between the Pandora Bridge and the Napier Sailing Club, in the inner harbour.
“The community is invited to join the welcome on the water and land to celebrate the crew’s extraordinary journey across Te Moananui-a-Kiwa the Great Pacific Ocean,” the trust says.
The voyage included four international sailing legs, from Ahuriri to Poutasi, on Upolu, Samoa then to Savai’i, then Suva and to Whangārei for customs clearance before heading home.
Along the way, the crew sighted such remote aspects as the Kermadecs and were closely followed on social media livestreams featuring most of the crew.
The trust says one of the voyage’s most significant achievements was the successful graduation of siblings Rapihana Hawaikirangi and Te Pō Hawaikirangi-Willison as traditional celestial navigators for Ngāti Kahungunu.
Ocean-going waka Te Matau a Māui at the new moorings near Pandora Bridge and Napier Sailing Club, prior to the August 31 Spring Equinox South Pacific, from which it is expected home in Ahuriri this week.
Under the guidance and mentorship of traditional celestial navigator Piripi Smith, they completed their training’s graduation requirements during the voyage, marking an important milestone in the continuation of ancestral Pacific navigation, using only the stars.
Their achievement represents the successful transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next, ensuring the traditions of wayfinding by the stars, ocean swells, winds and the natural world continue to thrive.
Beyond the sailing itself, Te Hokinga Takitimu strengthened cultural connections between Aotearoa, Samoa and Fiji, reinforcing centuries-old relationships that continue to unite Pacific peoples today.
This voyage has celebrated shared ancestry, cultural exchange and the revitalisation of traditional voyaging knowledge while inspiring future generations of navigators.
As part of the return voyage for the first leg from Ahuriri to Samoa, te waka Te Matau a Māui had one crew member from Fa’afaite i te ao Maohi Va’a.
The crew get ready to set foot on land in Fiji. Photo / Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust
From Samoa to Fiji and Fiji to Ahuriri there are three crew members from Fiji, who are part of the sailing vaka Uto ni Yalo, and one crew member from Samoa, who is part of the Gaulofa Va’a from the Samoan Voyaging Society return voyage.
While about 30 crew have been involved in the interchange, four have sailed the entire journey, Smith said.
It was self-funded from trust resources and crew contributions, including funding air travel to or from the stops.
Te Hokinga Takitimu (“The Return”) honours the ancestral voyaging pathways of the great waka Takitimu, reconnecting the descendants and enduring relationships shared by Ngāti Kahungunu and many iwi throughout Aotearoa and the Pacific.
The waka hourua is owned by Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated and operated by the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust. It was launched in 2011.
In 2028, the voyage will continue and include the Cook Islands and the Tahitian Islands.