Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
Ngātokimatawhaorua
The biography of a waka
By Jeff Evans
Massey University Press
RRP $50
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
Anyone who has attended the ceremonies around the annual Waitangi Day commemorations will have seen the massive wāka Ngātokimatawhaorua which is launched each year as part of the celebrations. The craft which is housed on the Treaty grounds is also seen by thousands of people each year.
The vessel is 37.5 metres long, requires at least 76 paddlers, and can seat up to 120 people. It is lashed with more than 1km of rope, and weighs six tonnes when dry, 12 tonnes once it is wet and in the water.
It was built to mark the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1940. The job of carving the wāka from three kauri trunks had begun in 1934 and involved many men and a team of 24 bullocks over many weeks to haul the hull’s sections out of the forest.
A new book Ngātokimatawhaorua written by Jeff Evans explores the history of the craft which is considered to be one of the largest of its type in the world.
Evans says he was drawn to the wāka’s story because “Ngātokimatawhaorua is an iconic waka taua, and not just for its size. It is intrinsically connected to the commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, so holds a special place in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand. Interacting with the waka in any way — whether it be as a crew person, a support person, a visitor to the Treaty Grounds, or as a spectator when it is out on the water — leaves an indelible memory, and that was certainly the case for me. The sight of a full crew paddling the waka on Waitangi Day should be witnessed by every New Zealander”.
The author takes the reader on three major journeys in telling about the craft. There is the history of its name, the history of its construction as well as the authors own journey to retrace the history of the boat.
In tradition, when Kupe discovered New Zealand, his waka was named Matawhaorua. But on his return to Hawaiki, it was re-adzed and named Ngātokimatawhaorua (‘ngā toki’ means ‘the adzes’). It was captained by Nukutawhiti, the grandson of Kupe on its return to New Zealand.
The inspiration for its construction came from Te Puea Hērangi, the influential leader in the King movement, and the project was directed by Pita Heperi (of Te Tai Tokerau) and Piri Poutapu (Waikato). The book traces the efforts over many years of Te Puea, whom initially did not have the full support of the Northland tribes.
The book follows the search for the best trees in the Puketi State Forest, their cutting down, transport and construction. The project presented many difficulties because of the size of the logs and their location. Evans also retraces the routes taken by Pita Heperi and the other loggers who brought the cut trees.
In the 1930’s this whole process was documented by the New Zealand filmmaker Jim Manley who took thousands of feet of 30mm and 16mm film as well as many black and white photographs. This footage would later be turned into a significant film edited by Mereta Mita which was screened in the late 1980’s.
In describing the 1940 commemoration and the launch of Ngātokimatawhaorua Evans uses eyewitness accounts as well as newspaper reports. He also describes the 1974 refurbishment of the wāka and commemoration that year when the when Queen Elizabeth II attended the Waitangi Daty celebrations.
Evans has written an in-depth account of this important and little known part of New Zealand history filled with detail and anecdote which gives new life and understanding to the vessel. As the subtitle of the book suggests this is a biography of the wāka, seeing the canoe as an entity with many dimensions, entwined with the history of Māori and the country as whole.
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