Kua whakaekea a Karāpiro e ngā kapa waka ama toa o te motu, i te rangi tuatahi o Ngā Whakataetae Waka Ama o te Motu.
I tēnei rā ka hiki ko ngā mahi whakangungu mā te tini o ngā kaihoe, i a rātou ka tahuri atu nei ki te hīmatanga o ngā tauwhāinga.
E ai ki tētahi o ngā kaiwhakahaere, a Hoturoa Kerr, “Koinei te rua tekau mā ono tau tēnei whakataetae e haere ana, me te mōhio anō, he maha ngā kaihoe hou kua uru mai.”
Neke atu i te toru rau tāngata kua tae mai i te rā nei, ā, mō te karapu hōu o Hawaikinui tuarua o Ōtaki, koinei tō rātou wā tuatahi.
Hei tā Whatumaringi Hapeta, “Mō te tauhou ki ēnei tūāhuatanga ka āhua wehi, nā ka warea o rātou mahara ki ērā atu o ngā tima. Kaore e aro hāngai ana ki ngā mahi ki roto i te waka, nā reira mō mātou nei pai tonu kia mutu pai ngā reihi katoa, mēna rānei ka eke ki ngā whiringa whāiti, mā te aha i tēnā wā.”
Ki tā Raiha Cook, “Ko te nuinga o to mātou rōpū he rōpū hanga nohinohi ki ngā mahi waka ama engari kua tino ū mātou, kia ngana ki te eke panuku ki ngā mahi waka ama.”
Kotahi wiki te roanga o te whakataetae nei, i roto i ngā tau, kua kite i ngā whanaunga o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa e kaha nei te tautoko, me te whakataetae ki ngā mahi nei.
E ai ki a Kerr, “Tērā karapu o ngā Kuki Airini kei kōnei i tēnei tau, kua toru, whā pea rātou e haere tahi mai ana, ā, kua kite hoki i a rātou pukenga. Ko rātou hoki tētahi karapu ka eke ki ngā kōwhiringa matua o te otinga o ngā mahi i konei.”
Ko ngā tamariki ngā kaihoe tuatahi mō ngā whakataetae nei, tē taea te kī ko wai ka eke. Wheoi i kite tonu i te āhuatanga whakawhanaunga me te hauora pai mō te iwi. Haere ai ngā whakataetae i te roanga ake o te wiki nei.
