Navigating to Norfolk - Stardome session...

Te Toki Waka Hourua crew and waka (sailing vessel)

Last night, I took my family to visit Te Toki Waka Hourua in Onehunga to support the crew who were having a fundraiser. The crew are hoping to go on a ocean voyage to Norfolk Islands shortly using only traditional wayfinding navigation. We got to have a quick tour of the premises and also got to view their Stardome session where our youngest was able to answer the questions about Matariki having studied the constellation at school.

The fundraiser is running for the last day today for $5 entry fee and they will also have an art auction as well as a 'Boosted' campaign on the 'Boosted' website. We had a great time at the Stardome session and learnt about finding our North, East, West, and South location using the stars and our hands! Wow! amazing knowledge.

This ancestral knowledge is now being reclaimed and revitalised to teach our next generations information that was on the brink of extinction but thankfully and timely, some courageous and generous people went to Micronesia to visit the last Master navigator to share his understandings before he died. You can read this story by Sam Low in his book "Hawaiki Rising" of which I wrote an earlier blog.

There will also be a couple of Saturday sessions whereby people can pay $40 to sail for an hour on the waka (of which I am considering). You just need to book at the Maritime museum or some schools have hired the Stardome sessions for their schools for $1,500 for the whole day which is also another option.

We finished the evening with a sausage sizzle and bought their stickers as supporters of which I'll put on my car but really an inspiration evening as I'm considering using the concept of 'wayfinding' as a methodology that I'll use within my research for my doctorate.

So inspirational and also I'm grateful that our next generations are learning and reclaiming these important skills that our forebearers would have had. Such a blessing...