Witi Ihimaera Smiler has released The Star Path, returning to the world of his 1987 novel The Whale Rider. The new work traces Teva’s artistic journey alongside Tehani, a whale leading her family forward, as readers and writers reflect on the enduring cultural resonance of Kahu’s original story.
The Whale Rider Legacy Across Generations
The cultural impact of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera Smiler stretches across decades, shaping how generations of readers encounter te ao Māori in literature. Published in 1987, the novel introduced readers to Kahu, a young girl quietly defying gender roles while following her destiny as a direct descendant of the famed ancestor Kahutia Te Rangi, also known as Paikea.
Writers returning to the story note how it resonates differently at various stages of life. For some, the connection began with the film, while others discovered the narrative through community arts festivals and audiobook performances narrated by Witi himself. Claire Mabey, author of The Raven’s Eye Rebellion, first encountered the book in 1995 at age 10 during a childhood marked by an obsession with orcas, finding it to be the story of te ao Māori she had encountered in a book. Kimberley Kearney, author of The Lost Words, noted that although she was small when the novel was published, it was the film arriving when she was in her 20s that formed her deep connection to the story.
Early Festival Experiences Spark Love for Shared Storytelling
Sitting inside a spiegeltent surrounded by creaky velvet booths and mirrors, a young reader watched the storyteller bring characters to life.
That initial festival experience turned into a job in that same spiegeltent for that same festival almost as soon as possible, maintaining a relationship with writers festivals ever since. The communal act of gathering around stories in real time demonstrated the pull of shared storytelling.
Writers Journey Into The Star Path
The release of The Star Path brings readers back into familiar waters while charting new territory.
Witi Ihimaera Recalls Swimming with Two Whales
So as old as I am at the time, I was 81, I then found myself swimming around about half a mile out, these mounting waves and waves of glassy, beautiful sea until I was tapped on the shoulder and told to look down, and there below were two whales. Huge, magnificent beasts, and even before I saw them, I could feel them, the resonance and the psychic nature of that encounter and I thought of my mother and so that was amazing for me to have that experience.
Witi Ihimaera Smiler