Hector_Busby
Hector Busby
New Zealand canoe builer and navigator (1932–2019)
Sir Hector Busby KNZM MBE (1 August 1932 – 11 May 2019), also known as Heke-nuku-mai-nga-iwi Puhipi and Hec Busby,[1] was a New Zealand Māori navigator and traditional waka builder. He was recognised as a leading figure in the revival of traditional Polynesian navigation and ocean voyaging using wayfinding techniques.[2][3]
He built 26 traditional waka,[4] including the double-hulled Te Aurere which has sailed over 30,000 nautical miles in the Pacific including Hawaii, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island.[5] In December 2012, Te Aurere and Ngahiraka Mai Tawhiti (another waka built by Busby) reached Rapa Nui after a 5000-nautical-mile, four-month voyage from New Zealand.[6] The two waka then made the return journey to New Zealand, landing at Aurere Beach in Doubtless Bay in May 2013.[7]