The Waka

When I went to the Maritime Museum in Aukland my favorite exhibit was the one where you have to steer a ship  to a place.

  The Maori already called the ships waka. They have two hou/hiwi (the part that sits in the water like hulls) to keep you from getting seasick. People sleep in the hou/hiwi. They join the hou/hiwi using the kiato. The kaupapa gives us a place to walk on like a deck. They use a whare like a stovetop (a place to cook).

They didn’t have motors so they had to use sails called ra.

They use a hoe to steer (which looks like an oar or paddle, but works like a rudder).

The last thing you would find on a waka is the kautao mauri stones which are to comfort you if you are in the middle of a storm or are feeling home sick/sea sick.