Waka ama team ready to set sail for Hawai’i

For the University’s waka ama team, early mornings, grueling workouts, and weekend paddles of 20–30km have all been leading to one thing - the Queen Lili'uokalani Canoe Race in Hawai’i.

The team will represent Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, in the world’s largest outrigger canoe race, held between 28 August – 1 September.

For sports coordinator Alaimalo Mataafa, it’s the third time she's leading a team to the race. She says people hear ‘Hawai’i’ and think it’s a free trip to paradise, but they don’t see the months of preparation behind it.

Since winning the University’s qualifying race in March, the team’s weekly routine has been intense: 6:45am paddles Monday to Friday, 20–30km Saturday paddles, two-hour kapa haka sessions on Mondays, strength training Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 45-minute heat training sessions on Fridays, followed by weigh-ins, rehydration, and sauna core workouts.

“All of this happens while students juggle final-year studies, jobs, family, and for one paddler, even a PhD,” Mataafa says. “It hasn’t been easy, but now, four days out, we’re almost there.”

For the past three years, the Engineering Eagles have represented the University, and they earned their place in the competition again this year, with a hard-fought victory at the Great Waka Ama Race. 

But with two engineering team members unable to travel, two Ngā Tauira Māori students have stepped up in their place, and the team has adopted a new name this year to reflect the mixed-faculty lineup: Waipapa Taumata Rau.

On 19 August, the team was farewelled with a blessing ceremony at the University’s Fale Pasifika. Kaiarataki Michael Steedman blessed each paddler as whānau and guests gathered around them.

About fifty people attended the ceremony, including paddlers' families, representatives from Waka Ama NZ, the Dean of Engineering and Design Dr Richard Clarke, Professor Deidre Brown, and the Ngā Tauira Māori waka ama team.

Reflecting on the journey, Mataafa says it’s about more than sport.

“This isn’t just a trip, it’s a blessing. It’s a chance for students, many from small towns, to show what’s possible when you follow a passion. It’s about discovering your limits and then going a little further, learning to communicate, to lead, and to steady your mind when things get cloudy,” she says.

“To me, it’s about elevating students who might not see themselves as we do - brilliant students and exceptional leaders. It’s about giving those who never dreamed of this experience a taste of what they can achieve if they stay committed and focused, because there’s nothing I love more than seeing our Māori and Pasifika students win.”

Student paddler Josiah Seleni, making his third consecutive trip to Hawai’i, agrees.

“We aren’t only in the same waka physically, but also mentally, spiritually, emotionally,” he says.

When he began waka ama two years ago, he thought strength and fitness would be enough to get him through.

“I thought, you use your big muscles and pull water fast and keep going, and if you’re strong and fit, you’ll be good. I was pretty strong and pretty fit, so I thought I was really good. Then I got beaten by a team of 65-year-old men in a race and it felt like I didn’t know anything. The beauty of this sport is that you’re constantly learning,” he says.

“As we head to Hawai’i, we leave not just as paddlers, but as representatives of our university, our families and our nation. With every challenge we face, every stroke we take in the waka, we will be strengthened by our greatest purpose, the people.”