About Te Aurere
This famous waka hourua (double-hulled canoe) reignited the practice of voyaging in Aotearoa.
Waka houruaDouble-hulled canoes
Ko te hautū waka hourua i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa he pikinga poutama nā te ira tangata.
I te tau 1991, ka tārai a Tā Hekenukumai Ngāiwi Busby (Hek Busby), i a Te Aurere – te waka hourua tuatahi kia waihangahia i Aotearoa i tēnei ao hou. He piki tūranga nōna ki ōna whakaihuwaka a Mau Piailug o Satawal, rāua ko Nainoa Thompson o Hawai’i.
Nāwai rā i te tau 1992, ka runaia a Te Aurere ki Rarotonga.
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The navigation of the Pacific by waka hourua is one of the great achievements of human technology.
In 1991, Tā Hekenukumai Ngāiwi Busby (Hek Busby) built Te Aurere – the first waka hourua made in Aotearoa New Zealand in modern times. He was inspired by Pacific navigators Mau Piailug of Satawal, Micronesia, and Nainoa Thompson of Hawai‘i.
Te Aurere voyaged from Aotearoa to Rarotonga in 1992.
Nā tēnei o ngā waka hourua i whakaoho te whakatere waka i AotearoaTe Aurere – the first waka hourua of the revival in Aotearoa
I hangaia e Tā Hekenukumai Busby i te tau 1991. He mea hanga i te kauri me ngā rauemi o te taiao, o te ao hou hoki.
Sir Hekenukumai Busby built Te Aurere in 1991. The waka hourua is made from kauri wood and other traditional and modern materials.
Te Aurere Iti – built for the opening of Te Papa
Te Aurere Iti is a scale replica that is one third of the size of the waka hourua (double-hulled voyaging canoe) Te Aurere. It was built by Hekenukumai Busby for the 1997 official opening of Te Papa.
Watch: Te Aurere – Haka and waiata
Watch haka (ceremonial dance) and waiata (songs) performed by the crew of Te Aurere on their voyage to Rarotonga.
Manu Rere Moana
The navigation of the Pacific by waka hourua | double-hulled sailing waka is one of the great achievements of human technology. This exhibition celebrates the mātauranga of celestial navigation that enabled these extraordinary voyages.
On now
Long-term exhibition
Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga
Hautūngia a Te AurereExperience a Te Aurere voyage
Haurapatia ngā kōrero, me ngā ataata o ētahi haerenga a Te Aurere.
Read about three voyages Te Aurere has taken and watch some footage from the journeys.
Te Aurere voyage to Rarotonga 1992
Twelve crew members are chosen for the first voyage of Te Aurere to Rarotonga. This is the first time in hundreds of years that an Aotearoa waka hourua (double-hulled vessel) has voyaged across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean).
Te Aurere voyage to Hawai‘i 1995
Inspired by the 1992 waka hourua ( voyaging canoe) reunion in Rarotonga, Master navigator Nainoa Thompson from Hawai‘i asks other Polynesian nations to meet in Ra‘iātea, Tahiti, with their waka hourua. From there, they plan to sail together to Hawai‘i to gain navigation experience.
Te Aurere voyage to Rapa Nui 2012
Hekenukumai Busby dreams of voyaging to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Completing this journey would mean his waka hourua have voyaged along all three sides of the Polynesian Triangle.
Watch: Panel discussion – Te Aurere’s maiden voyage
The original crew from the waka hourua (double-hulled canoe) Te Aurere recall its 1992 voyage to Rarotonga, which would chart the course for future voyaging in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Mahi whakatereNavigation
I whakaterengia a Te Aurere i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa i runga i ngā tikanga tuku iho a ngā tūpuna. Tūhuratia ētahi kōrero mō te whakatere waka.
Te Aurere sailed across the Pacific using traditional navigation techniques passed down by tūpuna. Discover more about traditional navigation.
Navigation: Learning from a master
Mau Piailug wanted to preserve knowledge of navigation for future generations. So he broke with traditional teaching practices and shared his knowledge widely.
Navigation: Star compass
The waka hourua (double-hulled ocean vessel) Te Aurere sailed across the Pacific using traditional navigation techniques passed down by tūpuna (ancestors). Discover more about traditional navigation.
Navigation: Navigate by hand
Find out how you can navigate using your hand, the wind in your waka, or by the ropes.
Watch: Panel discussion – The art of traditional navigation
Hear from the knowledge holders of traditional navigation in Aotearoa New Zealand as they discuss the ageless science that has sustained deliberate exploration of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the vast Pacific Ocean, in ocean-going waka.
Ngā Waka Hourua i muri i a Te AurereWaka hourua since Te Aurere
Nō te tāraitanga a Hekenukumai Busby i a Te Aurere ka tūoratia mai te mātauranga waka hourua. Nō konei ka paraia te huarahi ki te tārai waka hourua ki Aotearoa nei.
When Hekenukumai Busby built Te Aurere, he revived the mātauranga of waka hourua in Aotearoa. This paved the way for the building of other Aotearoa waka hourua.
Parts of a waka hourua
Hull, prow, stern post – learn the names for some of the parts common to all waka hourua.
Other waka hourua of Aotearoa
When Hekenukumai Busby built Te Aurere, he revived the mātauranga waka hourua in Aotearoa. This paved the way for the building of other Aotearoa waka hourua.
Te Mana o te Mana – Voyaging for the environment
In 2010, seven new waka hourua (double-hulled ocean vessels) were created in Aotearoa to journey together on the voyage Te Mana o te Moana. This voyage aimed to reconnect Pacific peoples with their traditions, communities, and the ocean.
Voyaging in the Pacific
Several thousand years ago, Pacific people navigated the vast watery wilderness around their homes and journeyed on sailing vessels, using only the seas, skies, and sea life to guide them.
Remembering Tā Hekenukumaingaiwi Puhipi Busby
Tā Hekenukumaingaiwi Puhipi Busby (1 August 1932 – 11 May 2019) Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu. Master navigator, waka builder, bridge between people.
Voyagers: Discovering the Pacific
Voyagers: discovering the Pacific, was an exhibition that opened at Te Papa in 2002. Read articles and browse collection objects related to voyaging in the Pacific.
Kupe Sites: A photographic journey
A thousand years ago, the great voyager Kupe made an epic journey from the eastern Pacific across the ocean to a new land. Learn about the stories of his arrival in Aotearoa.
Waka hourua Te Aurere Iti on Collections Online
Te Aurere iti is a small (about one-third size) replica of the modern waka hourua (double-hulled voyaging canoe) Te Aurere. Te Aurere iti was built especially for our Mana Whenua exhibition.
