Hometown
Mauke, Cook Islands
Voyage(s)
Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 15 | Hikianalia: Rarotonga to Aotearoa
Bio
Ngatama is relatively new to the waʻa kaulua, having first experienced being on board in 2023. He says that to him, Hōkūleʻa is “the vaka that revived navigation and sailing in the Cook Islands.” He looks up to his teacher who first voyaged on Hōkūleʻa in 1992 and is one of two Pwo Navigators from the Cook Islands - Peia Patai. Ngatama says “I want to be like Peia Patai, a captain and navigator for the Cook Islands and teach our young people.”
Ngatama is now an apprentice captain and navigator, and he looks forward to the opportunity of being a part of the Moananuiākea Voyage and “learning as much as I can.”
When asked what he craves about his everyday life when he is out at sea, he says simply “Nothing. I love the ocean.”
Ngatama is now an apprentice captain and navigator, and he looks forward to the opportunity of being a part of the Moananuiākea Voyage and “learning as much as I can.”
When asked what he craves about his everyday life when he is out at sea, he says simply “Nothing. I love the ocean.”