Today the opening ceremony was held for the biggest waka ama marathon in the world, the Hawaiki Nui Va'a race in Tahiti. Te Kāea reporter, Rahia Timutimu, is in Tahiti following the competition.
The official weigh-in was also held for waka crews in Huahine before the Hawaiki Nui Va'a race starts tomorrow. More than 80 teams were in Huahine today, and our team was there for the opening of the competition and to speak with last year's winners.
It's obvious the Hawaiki Nui is a big event, with women, men and children gathering en masse to start the celebrations for the begginning of the event tomorrow.
Today was the weigh-in for more than 100 waka participating, ensuring every waka was the same weight so there are no unfair advantages for any of the teams.
Every team is after success, training one last time before the start of the race tomorrow morning.