Adventure into the oceanic depths, rocky shore lines and pristine beaches of East Coast Aotearoa, a place where the waves ceaselessly roll in and the tides ebb and flow to the rhythm of the moon. Here in the heart of Te Moananui a Kiwa meet five mischievous and fun ocean creatures as they reveal the beauty of their watery home.
Ngunguru i te po i te po is a story of the children of Tangaroa caught up in a new struggle as they battle a terrifying oil slick.
I’m liking
There is something truly wonderful about listening to te reo, spoken by fluent speakers, being used to tell a story. It’s a real reminder of some of the wonderful things about living in Aoteaora / New Zealand.
The three actors in this show brought real passion and total commitment and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. It was high-energy and never lost pace.
I particularly liked the use of an old skool OHP to create the watery background; it was almost memorising to watch!
Things that made me go hmmmm
Because it was in Maori, and because my reo is not great, I was a bit lost at times. It was also obvious that some of the children had trouble following along. However, this is not a reason to miss this show… go, be challenged and enjoy the experience!
The conclusion
This will not be an easy show to watch for most kids, as you have to really pay attention to figure out what’s going on… and even then, it’s easy to miss things. However, it’s well worth a trip and I thinks awesome of all kids to hear Maori stories told in te reo like this. Ka pai Taki Rua Productions!
Ngunguru i te po i te po is part of the Capital E National Arts Festival.
