Whitupau is a dugout Oceanic Proa. The main hull is dug out of a western red cedar log, while the ama is dug out of a driftwood log. Typical of Micronesian proas, the hull is longitudinally symmetrical but asymmetrical transversely – with more camber on the windward side than on the leeward side. (Proas keep the ama to windward.) The hull’s internal structure is Māori-inspired. The waka’s Oceanic spritsail rig is shunted using a novel arrangement enabling the rig to be shunted from the cockpit.
