Wa'a Talks

In the afternoon we went on to visit Kaimuki High School where we had another beautiful welcome, were given absolutely gorgeous leis and met more people who had watched the Mālama Honua Landing at Pt England Beach. The kaiako or “kumu” cried when we gave her one of our Hei Matou o Maui, the hooks Donna secured for us from the Carver before we came away. What a blessing those turned out to be! Hawaiians who received them were particularly moved.

We were taken upstairs through the school to hear the wa’a talks. We were honoured guests, seated at the front, as proud young Hawaiian learners ran PLD for teachers, telling them how their lives had been changed by sailing on the wa’a. Rather like our Ambassadors. Very real and powerful.

The two facilitating teachers then encouraged the 60 or so staff present from around Honolulu, to include or integrate the wa’a in their teaching, rather like we would experience at PLD on Te Aō Māori.