The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour

Description

In ancient times in Aotearoa, there was a beautiful lake in which there dwelt two monstrous taniwha. Their names were Whataitai and Ngake. Whataitai and Ngake are two taniwha living in a beautiful lake. But when Ngake gets bored and decides to break free to the ocean his actions have far reaching consequences and help shape the landscape of our capital city. Discover the dramatic legend of how Wellington Harbour was created.

Moira Wairama is a published poet, playwright, storyteller, performer and teacher, and an award-winning children's book author. She writes in both English and Maori, and specialises in bilingual retellings of Maori legends. Her retelling of a legend first recounted to her by Tipene O'Reagan, The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour/Nga Taniwha i te Whanga-nui-a-tara with illustrations by Bruce Potter (Puffin 2011) won a Storylines Notable Non-fiction award and the LIANZA Te Kura Pounamu Award in 2012. Moira lives in Wellington with her partner, performer Tony Hopkins, and they are co-founders of Soul Food Tellers, performing stories for audiences of all ages. Bruce Potter is an award-winning and prolific illustrator of more than 100 children's books. He has illustrated stories for a number of New Zealand's finest children's writers, including the illustrated edition of Witi Ihimaera's Whale Rider. Bruce lives in Alexandra in New Zealand's South Island, where, as well as being an exhibiting fine artist, he is also an expert stage performer, musician, weightlifter, and black belt (2nd Dan) in Shotokan Karate.