On 7 December 2014 a fleet of six double-hulled, ocean-going waka arrived on Okahu Beach in Auckland, and were formally welcomed to NZ in form of a Pōwhiri. A seventh waka was delayed. These are the types of vessels the ancient Polynesians used to explore the Pacific Ocean, and they are believed to have been the means by which Maori arrived in New Zealand.  The arrival of a fleet of waka from the Pacific Islands to New Zealand was an event that had not happened within living memory, maybe centuries, and this was a special day.

The Polynesian Voyaging Societies’ vessels from Hawai’i (Hōkūle’a and Hikianalia), Samoa, Fiji, the Cook Islands and New Zealand (Haunui and Aotearoa 1) had sailed in from Australia (as part of a round-the-world tour), where they represented the Pacific Nations at the World Parks Congress in Sydney. There was little publicized information about the arrival - allegedly due to communication issues between Maori Iwi and the Auckland Council. My guess would be that 90% of the people in attendance were Maori and Pacific Islanders.  We were very glad we heard about this event via one of Nicola's work mates.