Taipūrākau

Kia pānuitia tēnei whārangi i te reo Pākehā, tēnā pāwhiritia te pouaka takaiho kei raro i te ingoa o te whakaaturanga.

Historical accounts of navigation, waka sailing and ocean voyaging combine with storytelling in many forms – visual, musical, spoken and real-time artistic creation – to bring us Taipūrākau, sand stories that bring the feats of our ancestors to life.

Adventurers travelled to this land hundreds of years ago via the Pacific Ocean, a marine highway for vessels that visited many island nations across the seas, sharing knowledge, history and genealogical ties. Tāmaki Makaurau welcomed these waka to the shores of Aotearoa over many years.

With images unfolding right before your very eyes, performance artist Marcus Winter puts his hands in sand to illustrate this story in a creative and remarkable way. A must-see for audiences of all ages, prepare to be inspired by the speed in which sand transforms into images of atua, to a double-hulled sailing vessel, to the oceans and mountains, and so much more!

Tai – ocean, sea; pūrākau – stories; taipū – sand dunes

— a play on words to create an unforgettable experience

Suitable for all ages

This is a bilingual event, presented in both English and te reo Māori

Taipūrākau can now be streamed on demand on our Digital Stage, and will be available until midnight on Sun 26 Mar.

Supported by

Commissioned by Auckland Arts Festival