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.
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