Christchurch Avon River waka tour reveals Maori language insights | The Canberra Times
One of the many things I love about New Zealand is how often visitors can experience Te Reo Maori, one of the country’s three official languages. On my last visit to the sunny peak of the South Island, I learned that iwi is tribe and waka is canoe. So when I head further south to Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, I’m excited to learn that another waka experience is available here.
This may be surprising, given that the River Avon/Otakaro through the city center is so narrow that a champion long jumper could easily leap from one willow-lined bank to the other, but I’m happy to try it.
A few minutes after saying kia ora (hello) to Kaiarahi (our tour guide) Zodie Ridland and kaihautu (navigator/captain) Louchous Cruickshanks, we learn another Maori phrase. We should say ka pai to indicate that we understand your instructions! It’s easy, my brothers.
After our bilingual welcome, we settle into our waka and easy rhythm. We’re lucky to have the convenience of seating, where traditionally rowers kneel in the waka, says Ridland. Our knees are grateful for the contemporary update. After each stroke, we gently and deliberately strike the side of the waka with one paddle. Paddle, touch; Paddle, touch. If I had a spare hand, I would check to see if my heartbeat was slowing down to match our sluggish rhythm.
Ridland tells us about the parts of the waka, their Maori names and the meanings behind the design elements. In the case of an inland waterway like this, we learn that tribes sometimes used a lightweight waka mokihi made from reeds and flax flower stems collected from the riverbank as a quick fix.
“We call them our rental cars; it’s not something you can use constantly for years,” he says. But our very sturdy wooden waka is irreversible, he says, and describes how it was accelerated by rugby players who tried but failed to capsize it.
