Whetū Mārama: Bright Star: A must-see kiwi movie produced in 15 years

Whetū Mārama: Bright Star (E, 90 mins) Director: Toby Mills and Aileen O’Sullivan *****

Looking at James Cook’s first map of New Zealand from the 1769 and 1770 voyages, you may not immediately notice one of the most notable things about it.

I knew from elementary school that Cook made the Banks Peninsula an island and Stewart Island a peninsula. But strangely, no teacher said Cook didn’t use the names “North Island” and “South Island” on the map.

No, if you look closely, you can see that he wrote “TaVai Poe Nammoo” and “Eahei No Mauwe”. Today, Tewai Pounam (Greenstone Sea) and Teika Amaui (Maui Fish) are well known as the very beautiful original names of the two islands. But how did James Cook know that?

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The answer is that Cook got into Tahiti and was named by navigator Tupire, who played a major role in the success of the voyage. Tupia drew nautical charts of the sea and stars, knew exactly how to get to New Zealand, and translated and mediated. And perhaps the rescued crew have lived several times.

In a better world than this, Tupire will be as familiar to us as Cook and Banks-and there will be his statues across the country. And one day there will be.

But until then, at least, we could honor the life of Sir Hekenukmai Ngaiwi Puhipi, or “Hek” Basby, perhaps the largest index in history in the voyage and shipbuilding traditions dating back to Tupire. increase.

Sir Hek Basby was from the family of Pakeha and Maori (Te Larawa and Ngati Cuff). In trade, he-literally-was the builder of the bridge. He and his team designed and built 200 road and railroad bridges throughout Northland before Hek retired at the age of 50 to pursue his true passion.

Due to Hek’s skills as an engineer and his deep curiosity, he found Nainoa Thompson of Hawaii and Papa Mau Piailug, a navigator of Micronesia in Satawal. And it was these men who rebuilt their knowledge of how to make open-sea waka using only traditional methods.

Whetū Mārama: Bright Star is a wonderful, timely and absolutely immersive portrait of Hek’s life and work. The film interweaves footage of Hek and his crew on an incredible journey across the Pacific Ocean. Eventually, Hek led the construction of more than 20 wakas, one of which, Theau Lele, sailed more than 55,000 kilometers on a journey connecting all the nations of the Pacific, as his ancestors did. ..

Filmmakers Irene O’Sullivan and Toby Mills have done something very special here. Whetū Mārama has been produced for over 15 years and this film is a unique journey. Facial age and children grow in it-and it has emerged as a sturdy, multi-layered, multifaceted story. There’s a connection here, and the strands weaving in aren’t immediately obvious, but they resonate with you long after the light turns on. I think this is a mysterious movie that has been shown for years.

With Matariki still visible in the dawn sky, there’s no better time to learn and celebrate more about the navigators and explorers, Pakeha and Pacifica, who made this wonderful country as it is today. Sir Heck Basby is part of that tradition – and this movie will be a great and welcoming place to start your own journey.

After an advanced screening this weekend, Whetū Mārama: Bright Star will be shown at some cinemas on July 7.