Te Mahi ā Rahi theatre show

Join Te Pou Theatre on a journey filled with spells, atua, giant birds, taniwha and flying teeth!

When Rahitutakahina finds the love of his life, Tiarakurapakewai, is kidnapped he is furious… but is he worried? Ehara! After all, he is Rahitutakahina – the toughest, coolest, awesomest, bestest warrior of the village – and will rescue her easy as…

Come on a journey through time at Te Pou Theatre brings to life the whakapapa Ki-o-Rahi.  Filled with spells, atua, giant birds, taniwha and flying teeth we retell the legend of Rahi and Tiara in a playful, imaginative way. We see Tiara and her adventures as a captor of a broken-hearted tohunga and the harrowing journey of Rahi to find his love, move past his pride and together unite the villages forevermore.

Te Mahi ā Rahi is an interactive 40 minute te reo Māori / Bi-lingual theatre show for tamariki and whānau. Playwright Tainui Tukiwaho (Te Haerenga o Hoiho, BLACK TIES) brings his imagination to the traditional tale of Rahi in a re-telling that leans away from paternalistic hero journey while still communicating the key moments of the legend.  In Te Mahi ā Rahi, as in the game Ki-o-Rahi, all genders play their part, the brain is just as important as brawn and team-work wins over the individual glory.

Ki-o-Rahi is an exciting and unique game to Aotearoa that is more than just a sport – it is a celebration of our tupuna, a celebration of te ao Māori.  Te Pou Theatre is proud to present this Kaupapa that seeks to grow the use of te reo Māori among all tamariki and share mātauranga Māori through fun-filled performing arts.

Kaituhi Ringatohu: Tainui Tukiwaho.
Kaihanga / Kaiwhakaari: Acacia O’Connor, Ngāhiriwa Rauhina,
Te Arohanui Way-Korewha, Tuakoi Ohia, Tahuaroa Ohia, Te Huamanuka Luiten-Apirana