Ngā Uri o Ngā Waka
By W. Ngatipa
Ngā Uri o Ngā Waka, Otamatea High School’s kapa haka had the opportunity to perform at the regional kapa haka competition last week. The group spent countless hours practicing actions, learning words and locking in the choreography so that they could do justice not only to the school but Ngāti Whātua and the Kaipara.
As much as the build up toward the competition was exhausting, nothing could prepare them for the actual performance on the stage. As one of the students aptly said “The 2 minutes waiting to go on stage were the most nerve wracking of my life!”
The kapa haka were very fortunate to stay at Peria marae and felt the aroha and manaaki from the local hapū and iwi. It is always a privilege to stay at marae as it provides an opportunity for our students to reinforce their learning in the classroom and apply it in a practical manner.
Overall we placed 6th out of 9 in the competitive section which was an awesome achievement for the group. They will use the learning from their performance as an impetus to do better as a group and individuals.
