Reviving an old concept in water-based activity

Rotorua’s city lakefront has witnessed the return of its first Maori-owned and operated tourism business in more than half a century.

And that is something Mike and Donna Solomon have every reason to be proud of.

Waka

Mike, of the Te Arawa iwi (tribe) of the Rotorua region, and also the East Coast’s Ngati Porou, established Mana Adventures last year.

He’d been in the New Zealand Army for a decade, serving in several overseas arenas, and then settled in Sydney, where he worked in local government for a further 13 years.

But like most indigenous people, the home ground (turangawaewae) beckoned and he returned to Rotorua, with tourism on his mind.

Mana Adventures is the result of the vision he and wife - who traces her ancestry to Ngati Whakaaue, also a part of Te Arawa, and Tuhoe, the mountain people who dwell to the east - had on returning to Rotorua.

The mainstay of their operation has been hoe waka, centred on the magnificent canoe Tarapunga - aptly named after the seagulls which are considered kaitiaki (guardians) of the Arawa people. Mana Adventures had Tarapunga built in Tauranga in 2003 especially for tourism, with the lifting of tapu and blessing conducted in July the following year.

The waka is 11 metres long and while having a fibreglass hull to fulfill health and safety requirements, is superbly fitted out in totara, the most prized timber to the ancient Maori. It carries a maximum of 14 paddlers and two crew.

The hoe (paddle) waka (canoe) experience is currently focussed on groups only, given the expense of locating it from its storage facility and crewing it.

Mike Solomon ...
back at home in Rotorua
Recently, Mike and Donna have brought other operations into their stable, giving them the ability to offer kayak and fun trips on powered pontoon craft and on small pedalled-type boats.

Mike says being located on Rotorua’s lakefront gives him immense pride as he has been told that this is the first such operation there in 56 years. As one local elder recounts, this area was known as Te Kaura ma Whitiwhiti.

“There’s a lot of history on this lakefront,” he says. “Our people used to paddle from Mokoia Island and put their waka in the raupo (reeds) before walking over to the settlement of Ohinemutu.

“In setting up our business, we have focused mainly on utilising the natural resources available, such as the lake and other key areas, and integrating that with the knowledge, experience and beauty of our people and our culture.

“The waka trips provide more than just a paddle on a canoe. Those who join us gain a rare insight into the realm of the Maori. They learn about our history, myths and legends, waka chants, paddle techniques and salutes. It is a holistic, interactive, educational experience.

“Our’s is not a new idea for Rotorua, it is a reborn old concept. Our people have been using this lakefront for centuries and all we are doing is bringing their traditional uses of their natural resources into the 21st Century.”

In establishing this operation, Mike and Donna Solomon have brought an old tradition of waterbased activities back to life, much to the delight of those from around the world who are now experiencing it.

MANA ADVENTURES
Mike and Donna Solomon
P O Box 1317,
Rotorua
Ph: +64 7 346 8595
Fax: +64 378 0913
E-mail:
Web: www.manaadventures.co.nz