The history of ocean voyaging across Te Moana Nui a Kiva is embarking on a new era as Marumaru Atua – Cook Island Voyaging Society digitises its video tape archives.

Donated by Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision in New Zealand, the Rokirokitia Digitising Kit includes a VHS player connected to a laptop with software to record and create digital files of footage that is run through the system.

The Society’s secretary Byron Brown tested the kit with a VHS tape from the Henry family of Aitutaki in a Facebook video, showing an example of how the kit works.  

“We’re very excited to get this up and running ...We have a lot of VCR tapes some young people haven’t seen before,” says Brown. 

John Tierney has kicked off the digitisation by donating his collection of videos.

“I’ve got a lot of stuff that’s original stories and some videos that were done by Geoff Henry and Papa Tom. Some of the earlier voyaging crew have passed and there’s a lot of information still in the hands of families,” he says.

Tierney hopes to build up the Society’s website, and document voyaging history for everyone to learn from and enjoy.

George Williams aka GDub from 88fm has given a safe place for the works to be carried out and storage for the kit. Williams is also volunteering his time and has been trained to use the kit.

“I’m looking forward to watching the old tapes. There’s content that’s been filmed from boats and jetskis back to the 70’s I believe.”

The Society is appealing to the public to share any materials related to vaka voyaging from VHS, DVD, CD, and even old photographs.

Local voyaging records are of both historical and cultural significance not only to the Cook Islands, but the wider Pacific and Aotearoa.

Brown says: “We are also looking for footage of vaka Te Au O Tonga being carried down from Takuvaine Valley in 1994. We have a lot of stills but no video and it was such a great occasion for voyaging here in the Cook Islands with hundreds of people carrying this massive vaka that it will be a great shame if it’s lost.”

From March the community will have an opportunity to digitise private collections for a small fee.

The project team is seeking additional funds and grants to employ a full-time staff.

Brown says: “The life of VHS and audio cassette tapes is already past the date where it will start to become unusable, so it’s important that we get this content digitised for people now to appreciate and for the future.”