Productions

HAUHAKE – HARVEST
Story of the seasons of “Harvest”
Hauhake – Harvest is an original production that combines all elements of Maori performance, including dance, drama, incantations and oratory.

Harvest portrays the rituals and customs of harvest according to Maori tradition. This includes the vengeance of Tawhirimatea (God of the Winds) who vented his anger on his brothers for separating their parents Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatuanuku (Earth Mother).

Tumatauenga (God of War) joins his brother Tawhirimatea and together they create destruction and chaos. Their brothers seek refuge from their combined fury by fleeing to various places – the forests, the bosom of their mother and depths of the oceans.

Tanemahuta (God of the Forests) is chosen by Io (the Supreme Being) to ascend the 12 heavens to obtain the baskets of knowledge. One of these baskets contains stars which Tane places throughout the universe, thereby creating the seasons. From these deeds, the cycles of harvest have become recognized in the Maori calendar.

WAKA

TAKITIMU – TAKITUMU
The production sets to portray the conception of the canoe in Upolo, Samoa, somewhere around 1066 AD, where we find Whatonga as the Ariki (Chief) of one of the districts. His younger brothers Orokeu and Oronaino did not hold similar ‘mana’ to him and they decide to build a canoe to carry them and their followers to a new land.

Over a period of 300 years, the canoe was used by many descendents of Whatonga and sailed to all the islands of the Pacific as a major trading vessel and as a vessel holder of all the genealogical ties between all the people of the Pacific. These islands included Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti, and Rarotonga and finally under the captainship of Tamatea Arikinui and the high priests Ruawharo, Tupai and Te Rongo Patahi Putahi the canoe sailed to Aotearoa, New Zealand.

The waka also had several name changes during this time.                                                                                

The names included: