The whale rider was Kahutia Te Rangi. Ancestor of the people of Te Tai Rawhiti, he travelled from Hawaiki, the place of the Ancients, to the east coast of New Zealand. Then there was Kahu. The first great-grandchild of the whanau, she was loved by all her relatives except the one whose love she needed most—her great-grandfather. Moving effortlessly between mythology and realism, pathos and comedy, The Whale Rider will delight listeners of all ages.