Wharekura students took to the field, sand and sea in a thrilling showcase of mau rākau skill and crossfit strength, wrapping up the final day of sport at Te Wiki Hākinakina.
A beautiful day at Te Riu o Te Aika Awa (Spencer Park) provided perfect conditions for Hopu Ariki and Parakiore.
The Hopu Ariki siren was the first to sound off on the beach, as crowds rushed to witness the action.
“Kua roa māua e karawhiu ana i tēnei kēmu o Te Ariki. Nā Te Kōtuku i haere ki ngā kura o te motu, whakaako ai, haereere haere, kua pakari haere ngā kura, ināianei kua tae mai mātau ki te werohia,” says Werahiko Kingi, Year 13 student of TKKM o Te Kōtuku.
(We’ve been playing Te Ariki for a long time. Te Kōtuku travelled to schools across the country to teach it. The schools are now confident, and we’re here to challenge them.)
Developed by the weaponry school Te Whare Tū Taua o Aotearoa, the game was designed to hone battle skills and can be played in various environments. Using their mau rākau abilities, the goal is for one group to capture the opposing leader, or ‘Ariki’, with a head strike, while the rest of the group targets the opponent’s turi (knees), employing both offensive and defensive tactics.
Poutini’s rule
The game was introduced to Te Wiki Hākinakina in 2017 and this year, a new rule has been added.
“E tika ana kia whakanuia ētahi o ngā pūrākau me ngā kōrero tuku iho o konei, nā reira ko Poutini, ko Waitaiki tēnā”.
“Ko tētahi o ngā ture hou, ka whakatakotoria tētahi pounamu kei waenganui i tā tātau taiao, anā, ka [whakatangi] i te pūkaea, [koinā] te wā ka oma ngā kapa ki te tiki atu me te tāhae i te whatu pēnei i a Poutini.”
“It’s only right that we acknowledge the stories from here - like Poutini and Waitaiki.
“One of the new rules - a pounamu is put down in the ground. When the pūkaea plays, that’s the signal for teams to run and take it as Poutini did.”
Rangatahi continued to bring the ancient stories to life through sport at Parakiore - a newly introduced game inspired by ancestral kōrero of Ngāi Tahu.
Parakiore fled with his wife on his back
“I roto i ngā kōrero, ko Parakiore tētahi o ngā toa i whakarerea i tātahi. Ko tana wahine a Hinekakai i piki ki tōna tuarā, i oma atu, whakarerea [tētahi] pakanga. Nā reira kua kuhu mai tēnei o ngā hākinakina ki tēnei o ngā Wiki Hā, he mea motuhake,” says Tahu Paki, who was co-ordinating the event.
‘The stories say Parakiore was a warrior who fled from the beach. His wife, Hinekakai got on his back and they ran off together, fleeing the war. So this sport has been included as a special edition to this Wiki Hā.”
The event consisted of two main parts - a 20km run with a 10kg bag and a series of workouts, including tūhēngeri (squats), pīoneone (push-ups), whakamāro uapuku (sit-ups), waetīkei (lunges), and nekerangi (burpees). Hundreds of reps were divided among the groups during the two-hour session.
“Ētahi o ā tātau tauira kua waia kē ki ērā mahi, engari te nuinga kāore i haratau, i kuhu noa iho i tēnei rā me te manako ka puta me ngā hua,” says Kiana Ria Renata-Kokiri, as she beamed with pride over her former kura, TKKM o Ngā Uri a Māui’s efforts.
“Some of the students are used to this, but most haven’t practised yet - they’ve just joined today hoping to achieve great results.”
This completes the final day of sport for Te Wiki Hākinakina. Tomorrow, students will take part in the Toitū Te Aho Matua hīkoi.
