Waka hurdling

Summary

Waka hurdling, also sometimes called waka peke (jumping waka), is a Māori sporting competition of jumping unornamented waka tīwai (river canoes) over wooden beams set in the water.[1] There have been attempts to revive the sport and keep the tradition going.[2] The Auckland Museum has a photograph of the sport and spectators.[3] The hurdles are made of long tree branches.[3] Albert Percy Godber photographed the sport in 1910.[4] The competition is part of the festivities of traditional Māori regattas.[5]

Waka hurdle race on the Waikato River, 1910
NicknamesWaka peke
Characteristics
ContactNo
Team membersTwo per waka
TypeBoat sport
VenueRiver or lake
Presence
Country or regionNew Zealand

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Hurdle race". teara.govt.nz.
  2. ^ "Modern paddlers try to master traditional sport". Stuff.
  3. ^ a b "[Waka hurdle race - Ngaruawahia Regatta] - Collections Online - Auckland War Memorial Museum".
  4. ^ specified, Not (1 January 1910). "Maori waka hurdle race on the Waikato River at the Ngaruawahia Regatta". Maori waka hurdle race on the Waikato... | Items | National Library of New Zealand.
  5. ^ Rewi, Tangiwai (2015). "The Ngāruawāhia Tūrangawaewae regatta: Today's reflections on the past". The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 124 (1): 47–81. doi:10.15286/jps.124.1.47-81. JSTOR 44733636.