He wā motuhake tēnei ki te iwi o Muriwhenua, ko te whakatuwheratanga o tētahi kura whakamarumaru waka, te whare tuatahi o tōna momo.
E mōhiotia ana te ingoa o Waitai-Dye i te ao tārai waka, he ākonga ia nā te tohunga tārai waka, nā Tā Hekenukumai Busby.
Kua kotahi tau a Waitai-Dye e whakakoikoi ana i ōna pūkenga i Ngā Tapuwae o Te Waka ki Muriwhenua, he kura wānanga e hāngai pū ana ki ngā tikanga tārai waka. Nō ngā rangi tata nei, ka whakawahia ia hei tohunga tārai waka. Hei tā tōnā māmā, tā Sheridan, e tātai heke ana a Hine i te iwi o Ngāti Kurī.
“Ko Hine te hua o ngā aroha rau, o ngā mata rau, nā reira he matarau. He mokopuna matarau.”
Kua tuwhera te whare waka
Hei tā Waitai Dye, he ngāwari te whāinga: He whakaora i ngā tikanga whakaheke o te whakatere moana, hei whai i ngā tapuwae o ngā tupuna.
“Kua pokaitia e mātou te whenua kia whakanui i a Pāpā Hector, kia whakahōnore i ōna pānga, te ako mai i a rātou, te tārai waka ki ō rātou taha. Ko te hokinga mai o aua waka, o aua kaupapa waka ki te kāinga te tino hua.”
I whakanui a Ngāti Kurī i te whakatuwheratanga o tō rātou wharewaka. I karanga atu a Ngāti Kurī ki ngā iwi o te motu ki te āwhina i te hanganga o te whare waka nei, nā Rua Whetū; te kura whakairo o Ngāti Whātua te tono i whakautu.
E ai ki a Walter Ashby, he rawe te kite i ngā pūkenga rerekē, ahurei hoki.
“He rawe te mahi nei o te hanga wharewaka. Kua whakarāmemene ngā momo akoranga, arā ko te whakairo, te raranga, kōwhaiwahi, i raro i te mahau kotahi.”
