Waka Taua destined on Thames River
Written by
Toi Maoris’ waka taua Te Hono ki Aotearoa based at the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden, Holland has been invited to participate in the City of London Festival on the 1st July 2011 on the Thames River with the support of the Ministry for Culture & Heritage.
The waka will be crewed by 8 multi skilled kaihoe selected from Nga Waka Federation of Toi Maori. As well as teaching and operating the waka for this special occasion, they will also be delivering workshops and presentations on Maori arts and culture at the City of London Festival.
Members from Njord Royal Rowing Club in Leiden and London based group Ngati Ranana will make up the compliment to crew the 16 man waka taua.
The waka will also be displayed in Paternoster Square once it has finished on the Thames River.
Toi Maori is part of a wider delegation of New Zealand Arts Organisations who will be represented at the City of London Festival as a ‘feature country’ during the month of July. Each will be leveraging off major events and cultural tourism promotions of New Zealand.