WHAT A TRIP - LIFETIME MEMORIES OF THE HOKIANGA...
Ko te mea tuatahi e mihi ahau ki a koutou
i haere ki a Hokianga i tērā wiki. He tino pai haere tērā. Ka nui ngā mihi ki
ngā kaumatua, ngā kuia, nga mātua me ngā whānau o te kura o Tautoro i haere ki
a Hokianga. Ka nui ngā mihi ki a koutou mo ou koutou tautoko o ngā kaupapa o
tērā haere. Ngā mihi ki a koe Papa Joe mo tou tautoko ki a mātou i te pōwhiri i
a Whakamahanatanga Marae, a Waimamaku. Ngā mihi ki a koe te kai karakia
timatanga me te kai mihi i te pōwhiri. Ki a koe, Nanny Cindy ngā mihi mo tou
awhi ano. Ngā mihi whakamoemiti ki a kōrua. Ka nui ngā mihi ki a koe Whaea
Chanella mo tou mahi whakarite mo tātou nei haere. Ngā mihi hoki ki a koe mo
tou kōrero e pa ana ngā kaupapa o Kupe me te wahi Hokianga. Ngā mihi
whakawhetai ki a koe. Ngā mihi ki a Dwayne te kai mihi tuarua i te pōwhiri. Ngā
mihi ki a koe me Whaea Dawnette hoki mo ou tautoko me awhi ki ngā tamariki ki
te hoe i ngā waka. Ki ngā mātua, te whānau o te kura o Tautoro i haere ki te
haere ngā mihi. Ngā mihi ki a koutou mo ou tautoko me tiaki o ngā tamaiki
mokopuna. Ngā mihi mahana ki a Whaea Hana me tou whānau me ngā mātua mo ou mahi
nui i te kīhini. Ngā mihi ki a koutou mo ngā kai reka rawa. Ka mau te wehi. Ngā
mihi, ngā mihi, ngā mihi ki a koutou. Mauri ora ki a koutou katoa.
Wow! What a great trip to the Hokianga!
Thank you to all those who came and made the trip possible and so successful.
This trip would not have taken place without Whaea Chanella’s organisation.
Thank you for the wonderful people that you arranged to teach us - Aaron about
the waka and Allan Hessill at Whiria Pa. Thank you so much for that. We will
all have lifelong memories. Thank you Papa Joe for your leadership at the
pōwhiri. It was also great to have so much support from Nanny Cindy, parents
and whānau once again. It was good to have the hoe and waka expertise of Dwayne
and Whaea Dawnette too. There was some hard workers in the kitchen doing an
awesome job producing yummy food and then cleaning up afterwards. Thank you to
Whaea Hana, Shar, Millie and Tilly and all those parents and tamariki who then
also cleaned the marae for us on Friday. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
everyone.
Highlights for me will forever be seeing
our tamariki actually in waka using hoe for real, sitting on the lookout
listening to Whaea Chanella talk about the taniwha and Kupe, having fun playing
outside the marae, the beautiful sunrise on Friday morning, and last but NOT
least going to Whiria Pa and listening to Allan Hessill. WOW! I have learned so
much and feel deeply privileged to have had such an experience.
