Hinerapa Rupuha, one of nine kaumoana who journeyed from Aotearoa to Samoa on the double-hulled canoe Ngāhiraka Mai Tawhiti, is preparing to captain the waka for the Samoa to Tonga leg of the return voyage.
She says the journey could be rough, but she’s up for the challenge.
“Kaare ōku wehi i tēnei wā nei, kaare ōku āmaimai. Katahi tonu au ka hoki mai i te moana, ā, i kite mātou i ētahi ngaru nui, i rongo i ētahi hau pūkerikeri, nā reira kua pai ināianei.”
“Kei te whai au i Te Korokoro o Te Parata. Ko ngā āwhā katoa, ka whai i tērā ara. Ka tohipa i a Rangitāhuahua ka tae ki Aotearoa. Koirā te ara e whai nei mātou. Tērā wā, ka uaua – nā reira me wehe wawe mātou”
According to navigation researchers, Te Korokoro o Te Parata, also known as the Tongan Trench, is a deep South Pacific channel used by Polynesian navigators.
Sailing through the trench can be demanding, with deep waters, strong currents, and shifting easterly winds that test skill and knowledge.
Hinerapa says the crew is not only following cyclone paths but also the routes of migrating whales.
“Ko tā mātou e whai i Te Korokoro o Te Parata. Koirā te ‘Tongan Trench’ koirā hoki te ara ka whāia e ngā tohorā. Ko te momo tohorā, ko te paikea. Anā, ka whāia i tēnei wā o te tau ka whai rātou i tērā ara.”
According to the 2025–26 Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Outlook by NIWA, the region between Samoa and New Zealand is affected by seasonal cyclone activity, which runs from November to April.
Despite the risks, navigating expert Jack Thatcher, who also trained the crew believes they are well-prepared. Still, on the open ocean, he says anything can happen.
“To start with they will have some pretty strong winds from the East and that’s normal. Whats happening up here at the moment is the easterly winds they start to let everybody know that its coming close to that time when stronger winds might arrive”
“The cyclone season is not that far away from starting so, the sooner [they] leave the safer they’ll be coming home.”
Thatcher says he expects the crew to advise him of their departure date on Friday and has left all the decisions of the journey entirely in their hands.
