We are waiting on an independent assessment of the damage but we have been advised by the original boat builders from their initial inspection that her starboard hull that our best option is to have a new one made. The late vaka builder and former Prime Minister Sir Tom Davis was honoured with the starboard hull name "Pa Tuterangi Ariki" after his traditional title and the bow sprit is named "Te Taunga o Te Ra" (the high chief of the sun).
The Cook Islands Voyaging Society is a non-profit organisation that relies on fundraising and sponsorship and volunteers to keep Vaka Marumaru Atua in the water. Unfortunately we were not insured against fire. Initial costs are around $300K, which is a lot of money for our small organisation to raise.
The Cook Islands Voyaging Society has been actively engaged in raising awareness of its activities & aims and has spearheaded many successful campaigns since the construction in 1994, of a 72’ replica of a Polynesian double hulled voyaging canoe ‘Te Au O Tonga’, built under the leadership of the canoe builder & designer, Sir Thomas Davis, in 1994 - to participate in a joint voyage with other Polynesian canoes to Hawaii. Te Au O Tonga has sailed on many voyages including sailing to protest against nuclear testing in Mururoa, her last to the 2008 Festival of Arts in Pago Pago.
Since the Vaka’s return in November 2012 she has been based in Rarotonga. Her last voyage, was the MUA Voyage to the IUCN World Parks Congress, from Rarotonga to Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Aotearoa and back in 2014. On November 12 2014 our 4 of the original 7 Te Mana O Te Moana fleet, Haunui from Aotearoa, Gaualofa from Samoa and Uto Ni Yalo from Fiji, sailed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge with our Pacific Island Leaders onboard to convey to the World the message ‘one Pacific voice’ and how each and everyone one of us need to take extraordinary measures to manage and protect our oceans and our islands. She has and will continue to be the vehicle to share the message about our vibrant voyaging culture and traditions, and to highlight environmental and marine issues that are affecting our people in the Pacific.
Our goal is to have her seaworthy by Feb 2018 so that she can participate in the Waka Odyssey at the NZ Festival
