Heke ana te werawera, kapakapa ana te manawa, mārō ana ngā uaua, horahora ana te memene. Ko te āhuatanga tēnei o hoe waka ama, o ngā tauwhawhai ki te whakataetae o te ao.

Huri noa, huri noa, korou ora, korou ora!

Nei ka noho au me te whakahoki whakaaro ki te wā o Uruuru Whenua (Mei) o taku taenga atu ki Noumea, Niu Karetōnia mō ngā whakataetae Waka Ama o Te Ao. Koinei te whakataetae o ngā whakataetae hei whakamōhio atu ki te Ao ko koe rā te Toa o ngā Toa, ko koe rā te taumata tiketike o tēnei hākinakina, mahi-ā-Rēhia.

Ko te painga o taua whenua rā o Noumea, ko te mahana, ko te mahana, ko te mahana. I waiho ai mātou te hōtoke ki te kāinga me te kuhu atu ki roto i te raumati. Hāunga i te pai o te huarere, ko te pai hoki o te wāhi noho. Ko te whitinga o te rori noa iho te tawhiti ki tātahi, waihoki ki te wāhi whakataetae.
Katoa o tātou, Māori mai, Maoli mai, Kanaka mai, Pākehā mai hāngai tonu ana ki te kaupapa o te whakataetae waka ama. I reira ko ngā ihu oneone o wā tātou nei hākinakina e whakaatu ana wā rātou ihi. Ko rātou e whai ake nei ko wētehi o ngā tino toa kua para i te huarahi mō tātou.

Ngā Tino Toa o Te Ao

Ta’aroa Dubois (Tangaroa ki a tātou o Aotearoa) o Tawhiti Nui
Kāhore he kaihoe kōpere i tua atu o Tangaroa. Ahakoa 20 noa iho ana tau ko ia te keokeonga, te taumata tiketike, te mutunga kē mai nei o te kaihoe kōpere . I ngā whakataetae o te ao i tū ki Sacremento, California, 2008, ko ia anō i eke ki te karamatamata whakatiketike o te maunga teitei. I taua tau anō (2008) ko ia te toa o ngā Tāne i raro i te 19 tau, te toa o ngā Tāne huri noa hoki. I tēnei tau i whai anō ia i te mētara kōura o ngā Tāne huri noa. Atu i ngā hoe kōpere, ko ia tonu e toa haere ana i ngā whakataetae tauwhāingaroa nui whakaharahara o Tawhiti Nui.

Hinatea Bernadino o Tawhiti Nui
Anō nei te mutunga kē mai nei o te kaihoe kōpere. I toa ai tēnei wahine pūrotu o Tawhiti i te wāhi ki ngā wāhine hurinoa. I reira hoki ko wāna tino hoa riri arā a Evangélique Tehiva rāua ko Vesna Radonich e tere whai mai i a ia. I te mutunga iho i toa ko Hinatea.

Grant Barriball o Aotearoa
Nei anō tētehi o ngā ihu oneone o tēnei o ngā mahi-a-Rēhia. I puta tōna ihu i ngā whakataetae o Aotearoa i te tīmatanga o te tau, ā, i puta ia me tētehi mētara kōura i te wāhanga ki ngā pakeke (pakeke ake i te 40). I pērā tonu tōna ihu ki ngā whakataetae o Te Ao. Mīharo pai tātou o Aotearoa ki tēnei o ngā toa, kua mīharo hoki tātou e noho nei ana ki Pōneke, tā te mea kei kōnei tēnei toa e hāpai nei i a tātou ki te Ūpoko o te Ika.

Claire Sykes o Aotearoa
Anō nei tētehi o ngā kaihoe toa e hoe ana mō tēnei wāhanga o te motu. Ko tāna i eke panuku ai, ko te wāhanga ki ngā whāea pakeke ake i te 35. Ahakoa i tae tuarua noa iho ki ngā whakataetae o Aotearoa i eke panuku, i eke Tangaroa ai ia ki ngā whakataetae o te Ao, me te hoki mai ki Aotearoa hei ‘Toa o Te Ao’.

Hāunga i wēnei Toa ko ngā Toa-a-kapa e tika nei te mihi atu. Ki te taha o Aotearoa ko ngā wāhine ērā e para ana i te huarahi mō tātou ngā tāne, ko ngā tino Toa o Aotearoa, me kī, ko wā tātou kuia kaumātua (pakeke ake i te 55). I hoki mai rātou me ngā mētara kōura e toru! Kātahi nei te māia, te mana, te ihi o wā tātou ruruhi.

Heoti anō, kāti rā e te iwi whai i te ara hauora. Kia kaha rā koutou ki te whai i wā koutou ake nā pae tawhiti kia tata, a tōna wā ka whakamaua kia tina, ko te wero kia whāia ki tōna karamatamata!

Nā Te Waka Tōreni, tōia!

Kupu hou
kōpere = sprints
mētara = medal
kōura = gold
tauwhāingaroa = marathon/long distance
tauwhawhai = race

Te Whakangungu hoe waka

Kua tae te wā kia eke ai koe ki runga i te waka, arā, te waka whai ama. He hākinakina, mahi-ā-rēhia tēnei mō ngā tāngata katoa, ahakoa Māori mai, kanaka Maoli mai, te mea te mea te mea. Ki te hia rapu koe i o pakiaka ki te ao Māori tēnā wepua mai. He hākinakina tēnei e whakakaha ana i ngā mahi a ngā tūpuna o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa.

Kua tīmata kē ngā wā whakangungu, ā, hei ia Rātapu ka whakahaerehia i he ahiahi whakangahau mō ngā kaihoe o ngā reanga katoa.

Mēnā he hiahia nāu ki te peke mai ki runga i te waka – ahakoa āu pūkenga – ī-mera mai, ūmere mai rānei ki a Taawhana (taawhana@gmail.com), hono atu rānei ki ‘Wakaz @ Vic’ mā runga o Facebook kia whai koe i ngā pānuitanga, i ngā wā whakangungu hoki.