Manu Bay will be awash during Auckland Anniversary Weekend with 100-odd surfers from 68 marae competing in the biennial Waikato Tainui Games, which date back to Kawhia in the mid 1990s.
Local kaumatua are set to perform a karakia early on Saturday morning ahead of the first of the heats in the two-day competition, which is dubbed the Marae Battle in the Moana.
“Waves are on the cards,” surfing co-coordinator Harley Muru told the Chronicle earlier this week.
But he’s not bargaining on perfect conditions. “Often just before the competition we’re left with little dribbly waves,” he reckons. “But it’s such a fun event and gets everyone out.”
Harley remembers his grandfather opening the first of the Tainui Games with a karakia. Gad Muru was in his late 70s at the time, says Harley, “and we had to walk into the bush at Aotea and do a karakia to make sure no-one brought bad vibes to the event”.
That was the “old-school” way – old customs – he adds respectfully.
Back then surfing wasn’t included in the competition, which pits one marae against another and is now held on two consecutive weekends over three regional locations – Raglan, Ngaruawahia and Hopuhopu.
The Tainui Games started off in Kawhia with sports like touch, netball and basketball before moving further north to Hopuhopu after a five-year hiatus, Harley recounts.
Then he and cousin Arna Rose Solomon-Banks – who both herald from Turangawaewae marae in Ngaruawahia – wondered about adding surfing to the mix, and were told “if you can run it you can do it”. So they did.
While Harley admits the surfing side of things had humble beginnings, Arna adds it was a big learning curve all round. But with backing from local businesses and the support of Raglan Point Boardriders they got through to where they are today, 10 years on.
It’s all about bringing people together from around the rohe or region in a fun and friendly competition, they say, with participants ranging in age from five to 65. Then there are usually 20 to 25 volunteers who take on multiple roles like judging, cooking and emceeing.
A big water-slide will be set up on the hill overlooking the bay, as in past years, and there’ll be a half-hour session for newbies – kids, grandmas, aunties and uncles – to give surfing a go.
Harley has a chuckle at what they call the kiddie corner session. “Grannies floundering along … negotiating the rocks,” he laughs. It’s all in good spirits.
Whaingaroa’s weekend-long surf comp coincides on the Sunday with waka ama racing on the river at Turangawaewae marae along with other sports or games like chess, indoor bowls, golf and tennis.
The following weekend sees the main court games like basketball, volleyball, netball and table tennis – along with touch rugby – played at Hopuhopu Sports Centre, which has the infrastructure to cater for the thousands of Tainui competitors expected to take part.
Although the competition is fierce at times the main focus of the games has always been on the principles of whakawhanaungatanga (relationships) and manaakitanga (care and respect).
