The departure of a waka fleet planning a voyage to Hawaii and back has been delayed a fortnight so solar-power systems can be installed in the traditional canoes.
A co-ordinator, Magnus Danbolt, says three of the seven waka due to leave from Auckland's Viaduct Harbour on Friday will be fitted with the systems so that they won't need to burn fossil fuels.
Mr Danbolt told Waatea News that what started as a voyage by one waka, Te Mana o te Moana, to highlight the adverse human impact on the Pacific Ocean, is now a pan-Pacific effort.
Canoes from Aotearoa, Samoa, Fiji and the Cook Islands are taking part, he says, and a documentary will be made of the voyage.
