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Overview
Te Aurere-iti is a small (about one-third size) replica of the modern waka hourua (double-hulled voyaging canoe) Te Aurere. Te Aurere-iti was built especially for the Mana Whenua exhibition at Te Papa, and affirms Te Papa's interest in the history of Polynesian navigation. It pays tribute to the knowledge and skills of the early Polynesian voyagers who sailed to Aotearoa (New Zealand) from Hawaiki across the broad expanse of ocean known as Te Moananui-ā-Kiwa (the great ocean of Kiwa).
The symbolic voyages of Te Aurere
In keeping with the historical and spiritual significance of the journeys it was to undertake, Te Aurere was built strictly according to tradtional tikanga (customs and protocol). In 1992 it set out on a bold voyage of rediscovery into the Pacific. The crew's mission was to 'reconnect' with relatives in Polynesia by retracing the migration routes taken by their tūpuna (ancestors) in early Polynesian sea voyages across the Pacific Ocean. The crew undertook a number of journeys: to Rarotonga in 1992, and to Tahiti and Hawai'i in 1995, as well as circumnavigations of the North Island. During Te Aurere's voyages, only traditional navigation methods and techniques were used. Some of these journeys can be seen as symbolic trips 'home' to Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland of Māori.
Hector Busby
Te Aurere-iti was built with the guidance of expert canoe builder and navigator Hector Busby, known also as Hekenukumaingaiwi (he who brings the people together). A bridge-builder for forty years, in 1985 Busby saw the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hōkūle'a sail into Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. This event inspired him to design and build Te Aurere-iti. For Busby, Te Aurere-iti represented a step in the continuation of the culture of building and sailing waka. He believed Te Aurere-iti was a taonga (treasure) that could inspire present and future generations of Māori to examine their origins and identity.
The building of Te Aurere-iti
Busby built Te Aurere-iti at Aurere, Doubtless Bay, during 1996 and 1997. The techniques used were similar to those used to build Te Aurere. The harakeke (flax) sails were woven by expert women weavers from Northland using traditional weaving techniques. The two hulls were shaped according to Polynesian tradition. Their scalloped grooves are thought to disrupt the flow of water passing beneath the hulls, forming a layer of bubbles between the water and the canoe. This reduces resistance in much the same way as a bulb-shaped nose on a modern super tanker.
Te Aurere-iti underwent extensive sea trials, and was launched in September 1997. It later participated in the dawn ceremony for the opening of Te Papa on 14 February 1998.