Since then, master carver Taua Papatua and his son Samuel Papatua have been working on a project with Ascot Community School students to carve a double-hulled 10m vaka (Cook Islands waka) as part of the Creatives in Schools programme.
After about a year, the vaka was delivered to the school and its children yesterday.
Samuel said it was a special day for them,
"It’s the conclusion of a joyful chapter in my life that I will always cherish and pray that I will continue the legacy of my father and my own people.
"It was a very emotional day, because there was a connection between us, the Cook Island people, or even us the carvers, to the young people, to the young children, to the school.
"We had a vision to pass on the legacy to our next generation."
He said the children were part of the whole process — from carving, to taking chips off the canoe and making the paddles.
"The young people understood the joy of inheriting new knowledge and the talent and gift from us Cook Island people, to the school.
"There was a lot of laughter and joy."
Taua, who was born in Mangaia in the Cook Islands, has been carving for almost his whole life.
The vaka-carving techniques have been passed from generation to generation — he was taught by his father, who was taught by his grandfather.
This project was not only about building the vaka, or sharing Mr Papatua’s skills with a younger generation, it also strengthened the bond between father and son, Samuel said.
"It draws the connection between me and my own father — from my grandfather to my dad, and my dad to me and it’s now my turn to pass it on to the next generation.
"We emotionally had our own time in the last few days, sitting up at the ground and talking about our sweat, our time together, what we’ve learned as father and son.
"That’s the deep thing.
"I will never forget this."
