Different from all other canoes he has built to date Hekenukumai Puhipi has put a special canoe up for sale in a bid to raise funds to complete the building of his house of learning canoe building and celestial navigation.
It’s a canoe that was built on directions from ancestors passed on to raise the bow and stern of the hull.
Hekenukumai Puhipi says, ”raising the front and back of the hull means there is less hull on the water. Its right, it turns faster and easier in a short distance because there is less canoe on the water and it’s very fast as well. As the Europeans say it has less drag and that’s correct.”
The purpose the sale is to raise funds to complete a house of learning of canoe building and celestial navigation.
Hekenukumai says, “It’s not yet completed although the housing is all finished but its the toilets and kitchen area to be done and not much else. Right now work has ended on the project as our funds are all gone.”
For those considering buying the canoe it has a price tag of one hundred thousand dollars or more due to the high costs of retrieving kauri logs from deep in the forest and all the work requests to shape these logs into the treasure it is.
The canoe has already been tested to see how it handles on the water.
He says,“It’s beautiful and fast and turns on a dime and all that and easy to handle. From now the canoes will build from here on will be shaped like that one.”
No matter who buys it, it's a treasure that will remain an example for future canoe building.