A major cultural milestone will take place this Wednesday, 15 October, as Samoa welcomes the arrival of the traditional voyaging canoe Ngahiraka Waka from New Zealand. 

The Samoa Voyaging Society said this would be a proud and historical moment for them. 

The Ngahiraka, a vaatele from Te Kura Waka in Tauranga, is being navigated to Samoa by a crew of eight traditional navigators. This voyage is part of their final graduation journey, guided solely by ancestral navigation methods — using the stars, sun, moon, wind, waves, clouds, and seabirds.

The waka departed from Aotearoa on 25 September and is expected to make landfall on the South Coast of Upolu, near the village of Poutasi, Falealili, on Wednesday morning. Samoa’s own voyaging canoe Gaualofa will sail out to sea to meet Ngahiraka and escort it to shore.

President of Aiga Folau Samoa, Susuga Leota Le Tagaloa, said, Aiga Folau Samoa is excited to welcome our Aotearoa aiga folau, the Te Kura Waka family. This is a most significant and historical occasion.

"It is our pleasure to welcome, Afioga Le Tautai, le Taitai a le Aiga Folau of Te Kura Waka, Afioga Jack Thatcher ma lana auvaa, e o lo o folau mai i le vasa loloa, e faaaogaina ai tomai tau folauga faaanamua a tatou tuaa."

The event highlights the importance of preserving traditional Samoan and Polynesian navigation knowledge:

"This is a timely reminder from our aiga i Aotearoa to remind us of the importance of folauga and retaining the skills this traditional knowledge of navigation should be to us, as tagata Samoa," added Susuga.

Although the crew has been navigating without modern instruments, the Ngahiraka captain is carrying GPS and other safety equipment to comply with international maritime rules.

The crew will be hosted in Poutasi, Falealili, where the Founder and Vice Patron of Aiga Folau Samoa, Susuga Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale, resides. During their stay, the voyagers will visit Le Amosā o Sāvavau, Samoa’s only Indigenous school, and explore key cultural sites.

After a week in Samoa, the Ngahiraka Waka will continue its journey to Tonga, also using traditional navigation, before returning to New Zealand to complete its graduation voyage.