Hiwa Ki Uta, Hiwa Ki Tai
Fri, Sat, Sun | Starting January 2021
Voyage into the stories of te moana and experience the spirited waiata, haka and instruments used in traditional Māori culture. Māori performing arts group HIWA will dazzle you with their maritime-themed performance Hiwa Ki Uta, Hiwa Ki Tai. The show explores stories of Māui, who fished up Te Ika a Māui the North Island and those of Polynesian wayfinders, who colonised the Pacific using their profound knowledge of the sea, celestial navigation, and naval architecture.
HIWA are highly skilled with tī rākau stick games and poi, both of which were practised by warriors to develop the skills required when wielding Māori weaponry such as the taiaha or when manning waka.
Hiwa Ki Uta, Hiwa Ki Tai concludes with a tour of the Museum’s Hawaiki Gallery, and a viewing of models of canoes of Aotearoa and the Pacific, accompanied by explanations of the knowledge and techniques used to steer and navigate them.
