More than 1,000 years ago the first Maori settlers arrived on New Zealand's shores in traditional waka (canoes), and now one unique waka has embarked on another long journey: Maori have gifted a specially designed waka to the Netherlands to honour their friendship with the Dutch.
The 14-metre waka was handed over to the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden as a permanent loan to be part of the museum’s new exhibition of Maori culture and art. Amongst the hundreds of people who watched the Maori handing the waka over to the museum were representatives of the Dutch Queen and the Maori King. It’s now almost 370 years ago since Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first sighted New Zealand and anchored at Golden Bay, and he has played a vital part in New Zealand’s history. Steven Engelsman of the Volkenkunde Museum Leiden is thrilled about the gift and says: “It is a way to keep the friendship with New Zealand
alive and strong.”
Members from the local Njord Rowing Club will be the new guardians of the Maori waka – they have been trained in Maori protocol and take their responsibility very serious. Koos Wabeke, who is the new Dutch captain of the waka, said he was too nervous to sleep before the big ceremony. It’s likely that the waka will be on display at the London Festival in 2011, and it will then be on show at a Te Papa exhibition in Paris. The biggest event for the very special Maori canoe will, however, be the 100-year commemoration of the Gallipoli Battle in 2015.
Famous waka which are on display on these shores are to be found in museums across New Zealand, but the Waitangi National Trust Estate in the Bay of Plenty and the Auckland Museum are certainly highlights – they house one of the world’s largest waka toa (war canoes), and the last great Maori waka toa used in battle respectively. If you would like to travel in a Maori waka, you can join a guided waka tour for example on the Whanganui River or on Christchurch’s waterways. For more on the fascinating Maori culture and to book your Maori adventures click here.