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Marumaru Atua

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Marumaru Atua, Rarotonga 2010
History
Cook Islands
NameMarumaru Atua
OwnerCook Islands Voyaging Society
BuilderSalthouse Boatbuilders
Launched2009
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeVaka Moana
Displacement13 tonnes[1]
Length72 ft (22 m) overall[1]
Beam21 ft (6.4 m)[1]
Draft3 ft (0.91 m)[1]
PropulsionSail / PV electric
Sail plancrabclaw sails
Complement18[1]

Marumaru Atua ("under the protection of God") is a reconstruction of a vaka moana, a double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe. It was built in 2009 by the Okeanos Foundation for the Sea.[2][3] In 2014, it was gifted to the Cook Islands Voyaging Society.[2] It is used to teach polynesian navigation.

The vaka is recognised as a cultural treasure and is commemorated on the Cook Islands $5 coin.[4]

Construction

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The vaka hulls are constructed of fiberglass, The wood beams are connected to the hulls with traditional lashings. The two masts are rigged with crab claw sails, with bermuda rigged sails for safety during long voyages.[3] It is fitted with a 1 kW photovoltaic array powering a 4 kW electric motor.[1] It was constructed at Salthouse Boatbuilders in Auckland, New Zealand.[3] The starboard hull is named Pa Tuterangi Ariki and has a bowspirit carved with the sun, Te Ra, as a tribute to former Cook Islands Prime Minister and Polynesian navigator Tom Davis. The port hull is named Te Tika O Te Tuaine and has a bowspirit carved with the moon, Te Marama, as a tribute to Te Tika Mataiapo Dorice Reid, who had sailed with the Cook Islands Voyaging Society on its earlier vaka, Te Au o Tonga.[3][5]

Voyages

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  • In April 2010 Marumaru Atua was part of a fleet of four vaka which voyaged from New Zealand to the island of Raivavae in French Polynesia.[1] It then sailed to Raiatea - sometimes identified with the Polynesian homeland of hawaiki[6] - then on to Rarotonga, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.[1]
  • In 2011 it visited San Francisco as part of a fleet of six traditional canoes which voyaged across the Pacific to the USA.[7]
  • In 2011- 2012 it was part of the Te Mana o Te Moana (Spirit of the Ocean) fleet which visited 15 Pacific nations to spread knowledge of voyaging culture and advocate for ocean conservation.[2]
  • In September 2014 it journeyed to Sydney, Australia as part of a fleet to mark the World parks Congress in November.[8] It was later joined by canoes from Samoa and Fiji.[9] It then sailed to New Zealand, where after refurbishment in Auckland, it participated in Waitangi Day celebrations.[10]
  • It returned to the Cook Islands in May 2015 to join the Te Manava Vaka Festival, organised to mark the Cook Island's 50th anniversary of self-rule.[11]
  • In September 2017 the vaka was badly damaged by a fire and was shipped to New Zealand for repairs.[12] The entire starboard hull was replaced. The repair was funded by the Cook Islands government, a $135,000 donation from US NGO Nia Tero, and a crowdfunding campaign from the Cook Island Voyaging Society.[13] It returned to Rarotonga in June 2019.[14]
  • In October 2019 it was hired by the Ministry of Marine Resources for a trip to Manuae and Takutea to survey marine life.[15]
  • In December 2019 it voyaged to Aitutaki.[16]
  • In 2020 the vaka had planned to voyage to Hawaii.[17]
  • In August 2020 it voyaged to Mangaia for the first time for the inauguration of the Numangatini Ariki.[18]
  • In June 2021 it set out to visit all 15 of the Cook Islands.[19]

Images

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  • Marumaru Atua in Avarua harbour, 2011
    Marumaru Atua in Avarua harbour, 2011
  • Voyaging canoes (left to right) - Marumaru Atua, Hine Moana, and Haunui - arriving in San Francisco in the Te Mana o Te Moana expedition (2011)
    Voyaging canoes (left to right) - Marumaru Atua, Hine Moana, and Haunui - arriving in San Francisco in the Te Mana o Te Moana expedition (2011)
  • Marumaru Atua in 2013
    Marumaru Atua in 2013
  • Marumaru Atua in August 2019
    Marumaru Atua in August 2019
  • Marumaru Atua's navigation carving
    Marumaru Atua's navigation carving

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tavaru – The long voyage home". Ranui. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Marumaru Atua". Okeanos Foundation for the Sea. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Marumaru Atua". Cook Islands Voyaging Society. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Minister of Finance Launches new Five Dollar Coin". Ministry of Finance and Economic Management. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Te Tika dies suddenly, Influential woman leaders death shocks Polynesia". Cook Islands News. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  6. ^ Salmond, Anne (2010). Aphrodite's Island. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 227-228. ISBN 9780520261143.
  7. ^ "Cook Islands plans national day celebrations in San Francisco". RNZ. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Climate canoe leaves Cook Islands for Sydney". RNZ. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Traditional canoes set sail from Fiji to Australia". RNZ. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Vaka Marumaru Atua joins Waitangi commemorations". Cook Islands News. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Pacific voyagers sail to join Cook Islands festival". RNZ. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Iconic Cook Islands vaka off to NZ for repairs after fire". RNZ. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Cook Islands vaka secures nearly $NZ500,000 in funding". RNZ. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Cook Islands canoe welcomed home". RNZ. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Mama Maru's voyage to look into the eye of the sea". Cook Islands News. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  16. ^ Melina Etches (5 December 2019). "Godspeed as Marumaru Atua voyages to Aitutaki". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  17. ^ Losirene Lacanivalu (17 February 2020). "Bid to sail vaka in international waters". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  18. ^ Melina Etches (28 August 2020). "Pod of whales welcomes vaka to Mangaia". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Traditional sailing methods inspire Cook Islands vaka crew to make epic voyage". RNZ. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
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