WHOLE SCHOOL MARAE NOHO - HOKIANGA.

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.