Waka Berlin Project
Pou Kapua Creations is creating, constructing, and producing an 8-metre-long Waka Hourua (double hulled canoe), based on Māori / Pacific designs. All whakairo (traditional carving) will be led by Wikuki Kingi, Tohunga Toi Ake and supported by our whakairo team from across Aotearoa and the Pacific. Traditional Māori and Pacific weaving in harakeke and pandanus will be used for the Ra Matua (sail).
The Waka is destined for Ozean Berlin which is scheduled to be open in late 2026 and is created to provide visitors with amazing, culturally insightful experiences. It designed it to be very stable and safe for the thousands of people that will cross the deck every year. The Waka would provide interactive experiences whereby people (including those with disabilities, and/or visually impaired) could touch and feel the carvings (e.g. tauihu, taurapa, railings on the waka); handle the steering paddle; sit in the navigators’ and captains’ seats with carved backs; feel the woven sails; and see and feel the star compass on the deck. The waka would also provide a wonderful platform for speakers, presenters, and performers.
Global Reach Initiative & Development (GRID Pacific)
The Global Reach Initiative & Development (GRID) Pacific Team, in collaboration with our global partner tech giant Google Earth and Street View, aim to transform Pacific Islands into 21st century powerhouses. With the latest technologies for Google Street View, the GRID Pacific Team captures panoramic high-resolution imagery, accurate 3D depth information, and GPS and GIS location data that is interfaced with Google Maps and displayed in Google Earth. Through the Global Reach Initiative & Development (GRID) Programme, ‘whole of country’ solutions are provided the support each country's vision and heritage, showcasing the beauty and charisma of the nation’s culture, landscapes, oceans, people, and their unique languages to the world. It will bring families and friends together from anywhere in the world back to their local villages, vaka, and favourite beaches.