Every year I return to Te Tii Marae to help with the official welcoming of various official groups such as diplomatic ambassadors, NZ Navy ,Government officials etc..
One of the roles I have is as kai karanga and kai waiata.. I always treasure my time here being with my elders, listening to their historic rhetoric with much humor amongst the serious manner of some topics that are brought to the whare ( ancestral house ) for discussion.
The welcoming of the waka on the Te Tii beach is always a highlight for the thousands that come to celebrate Waitangi day, and is definately my favorite part of the day...The waka teams have been training hard for the week prior ,and it is their time to shine and to show off the salutes ,Haka and drills they have learnt...my role is to karanga ( call ,welcome ) the waka to shore and then to farewell them with safe blessings until we see them again next year..
