Kōanga Festival Whānau Day

WHĀNAU DAY
Performances, storytelling, activities, kai and fun times

Performances include:
Dancing with Karetao – Atamira, Free
Taonga puoro (Māori instruments) played live by expert practitioner James Webster complements a moving feast for ears and eyes, as three Atamira dancers wielding karetao (Māori puppets) introduce young and old to the playful realm of Nga Atua Māori (the Gods/desses). Witness the epic heaven and earth embrace of Ranginui and Papatuanuku, the strong and proud Tānemahuta, or the mysterious and curious Hine Pu Te Hue, each atua revealed through magical storytelling and Māori contemporary dance. Dancing with Karetao is a whanau-friendly work that invites traditional and contemporary flavours of dance, haka, puppetry, drama and pūrakau to combine in a fun and quirky 45-minute performance!

Mahuika – Auckland Theatre Company, Free
Mahuika is a fun filled journey through the ngāhere to the underworld and back as two sisters must save their mum and re unite Mahuika with her long lost daughter while facing Māui’s old foes. Sparkling with light and laughter, blazing with music, dance and magic; MAHUIKA reignites this legend of old with the power of today’s brave, cheeky and caring young women.
By Amber Curreen; Commissioned and Presented by Auckland Theatre Company

Sofija’s Garden at 10:30am  – as part of Going West Festival ($10 to $15 per person)
Enter a magical tent where Baba Sofija is waiting to tell her grandchildren a story – with their help, of course! Fiesty Kosjenka yearns to travel far away from her home, so she rides on the back of the wind and befriends the shy giant Reygoch. Inspired by the oral histories of Dalmatian settlers, this story-within-a-story pays tribute to the pioneering spirit of these early families.
Director Tainui Tukiwaho (Cradle Song, Astroman) makes magic with masks, music and puppetry, and invites the audience to participate.For ages 5-12 and their grown-ups; Performed in English, Croatian and Te Reo Māori