Te Au o Tonga ("the mist of the South") is a reconstruction of a vaka moana, a double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe. It was built in 1994 by former Cook Islands Prime Minister Thomas Davis and the Cook Islands Voyaging Society. It was used to teach polynesian navigation.
The vaka is made of laminated wood, 72 feet long, with a displacement of 10 to 12 tons, and a crew of 18. It has inspired other designs, being used by the Okeanos Foundation for the Sea as a model for a group of fibreglass-hulled replicas, including Marumaru Atua, and later by the Te Aurere Voyaging Society in New Zealand as a model for their kauri-hulled Te Aurere. It has also featured in the filmThe Legend of Johnny Lingo.
Since 2002 the vaka has been based in Aitutaki. In 2012 it completed a refit, with repairs to the hull and crossbeams. In 2014 it completed a further refit, which replaced the hull, decks, and spars. It is currently used for training and tourism trips in the Aitutaki lagoon.
Voyages
- In 1995 Te Au o Tonga made an inaugural voyage to Raiatea, Tahiti, Nuku Hiva, Hawaii, Molokai and Oahu.
- In August 1995 it sailed as part of a protest fleet against a resumption of French nuclear testing at Moruroa.
- In 1996 it sailed to Samoa for the VII Pacific Arts Festival, and then to Tonga and New Zealand.
- In 1999 it sailed to Auckland, New Zealand, for the opening of the Americas's Cup challenge, and then on to Gisborne for the Millennium celebrations. It later returned to Auckland for the America's Cup regatta.
- In 2002 it sailed to Tahiti, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Borabora, and Mitiaro.
- In July 2008 it sailed to American Samoa for the Festival of Pacific Arts.
References
- ^ "Te Au O Tonga". Cook Islands Voyaging Society. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020.
- "The Cook Islands Voyaging Society Strategic Plan 2018-2023" (PDF). Cook Islands Voyaging Society. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ "Vaka Te Au O Tonga is back". Cook Islands News. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "History of Voyaging". Cook Islands Voyaging Society. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- "NZ vaka modelled on Te Au O Tonga". Cook Islands News. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "New chapter for much-loved vaka". Cook Islands News. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- Quintina Naime (30 August 2015). "Anti-nuclear 'dream team' reunite". Loop. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- CHRISTOPHE MARQUAND (1 September 1995). "Protest Vessels Ring Test Site, Awaiting Signs of First Blast". AP News. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- "America's Cup underway with vibrant Pasifika flavour". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 69, no. 11. 1 November 1999. p. 53. Retrieved 13 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- Nick Perry (30 June 2000). "Sailing in the wake of early navigators". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- Jon Tikivanotau M. Jonassen. "Cook Islands". Project Muse. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
