A waka that was built for the centennial of the Treaty of Waitangi has taken to the water on its 70th anniversary after getting a refurbishment.

The waka, named Ngatokimatawhaorua, was welcomed onto Te Tii Beach following a ceremony at about 9am on Saturday morning.

The waka was restored by the country's pre-eminent waka master, Heke Busby.

"If it wasn't for the waka we wouldn't be here today, our ancestors wouldn't have come," says Busby.

The boat, believed to be the longest of its type, was built on the inspiration of Princess Te Puea Herangi, a key figure in the Maori King Movement in Waikato in the middle decades of the 20th century.

She had hoped to see a full fleet of waka built for the 100th anniversary of the Treaty in 1940 but the intervention of war meant just one was built.

The waka is made of three sections lashed together using traditional methods

The central section is made from a huge kauri tree, and a second kauri was felled for the two end sections.

In the past year the waka shelter at the Treaty Grounds has been re-roofed and the waka refurbished and re-lashed.

Early on Saturday, the waka was launched from its shelter into the Bay of Islands.

Warriors took the waka around the bay for a time before bringing it onto Te Tii Beach.

There it was blessed before heading back out onto the water.

Several other waka were also on the bay, including the large waka's smaller and older sister vessel Ngatokimatawhaorua ki Hokianga, some paddled by boys as young as 14.

"Age doesn't matter...It's all experience that matters out there," says Barron Hetaraka-Witanga.

Keeping a watchful eye the waka master is a little harsher. Lamenting the breezes that kept crews from practising more.

"It looked a bit like a caterpillar. They weren't all in sync", says Busby.

The waka ceremony came four hours after a dawn service at the Treaty Grounds whare runanga (meeting house).

Among those who attended were Prime Minister John Key, Labour leader Phil Goff, Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples, the diplomatic corps and about 500 others.

Key later gave a breakfast speech outlining his wish to see all Treaty settlements completed by 2014.

He hopes to make a similar major speech at Waitangi every year he is prime minister.

Source: TVNZ

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