Te Kaikaukau – The Swimmer

By Witi Ihimaera Smiler

I Te Ao O Te Reo

Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera- author of Pounamu, Pounamu and the Whale Rider– decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full time at Te Wananga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Maori.

This book tells the story of his year i te ao o te reo; of sinking and floating; of loss and shame, connection and wairua; of fathers and teachers, kuia and friends.

A riveting and revealing memoir, Te Kaukaikai – The Swimmer sparkles with whaikorero and whakatauki and is written for all- Maori and Pakeha, fluent re Maori  speakers and those for whom the language is still a mystery, a dream, an inspiration.

It is the story of a Maori New Zealander reclaiming his voice, history, and whakapapa in Aotearoa. Of becoming Witi Ihimaera Smiler and drawing closer to his desire to write a novel in te reo for his beloved father Tom and his tipuna.