The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour

Name: The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour
Brand: Penguin Random House NZ
SKU: 9780143504498
Price: 22.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Moira Wairama

0.0 (0 reviews)

Brief Description

Format: Paperback / softback

$22⁰⁰

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour

$22⁰⁰

New Releases to add to your TBR this week (2nd September)

There's so much new this week to get excited about with so many amazing new...

CHILDREN'S CORNER 1 Sep 2026

Screen Time for Tamariki - the books you need!

Finding the task of navigating screen time and the digital world for children incredibly complex,...

BOARD GAMES 1 Sep 2026

Shirl's Road Trip Reads and Board Game Picks

I recently spent a couple of weeks road-tripping with whānau visiting Aotearoa from overseas showing...

BOOKS TO SCREEN 1 Sep 2026

The Story to Screen Report - 01/09/2026

Sacha has rounded up all the biggest Story to Screen news from the past week,...

THE BOOK BRIEFING 1 Sep 2026

The Book Briefing - September 1st

Welcome to this week's Book Briefing where we round up the news for the week!...

Whataitai and Ngake are two taniwha living in a beautiful lake. But when Ngake gets bored and decides to break free to the ocean his actions have far reaching consequences and help shape the landscape of our capital city.

A legend about the two taniwha who played a role in forming Wellington Harbour, retold by Moira Warama, with stunning illustrations by Bruce Potter

Description

In ancient times in Aotearoa, there was a beautiful lake in which there dwelt two monstrous taniwha. Their names were Whataitai and Ngake. Whataitai and Ngake are two taniwha living in a beautiful lake. But when Ngake gets bored and decides to break free to the ocean his actions have far reaching consequences and help shape the landscape of our capital city. Discover the dramatic legend of how Wellington Harbour was created.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780143504498

Publisher: Penguin Group (NZ)

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 January 2011

Country: New Zealand

Imprint: Puffin

Contributors:

Illustrated by Bruce Potter
Illustrated by Bruce Potter

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 5.0mm

Width: 225.0mm

Height: 279.0mm

Weight: 166g

Pages: 32

Collections

Children's Books Children's Picture Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Moira Wairama New Zealand and Australia Published New Zealand Children's Books New Zealand Published Penguin Books

About the Author

Moira Wairama is a published poet, playwright, storyteller, performer and teacher, and an award-winning children's book author. She writes in both English and Maori, and specialises in bilingual retellings of Maori legends. Her retelling of a legend first recounted to her by Tipene O'Reagan, The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour/Nga Taniwha i te Whanga-nui-a-tara with illustrations by Bruce Potter (Puffin 2011) won a Storylines Notable Non-fiction award and the LIANZA Te Kura Pounamu Award in 2012. Moira lives in Wellington with her partner, performer Tony Hopkins, and they are co-founders of Soul Food Tellers, performing stories for audiences of all ages. Bruce Potter is an award-winning and prolific illustrator of more than 100 children's books. He has illustrated stories for a number of New Zealand's finest children's writers, including the illustrated edition of Witi Ihimaera's Whale Rider. Bruce lives in Alexandra in New Zealand's South Island, where, as well as being an exhibiting fine artist, he is also an expert stage performer, musician, weightlifter, and black belt (2nd Dan) in Shotokan Karate.

More from Children's Books

View all

New Release

The Neverfear

A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...

By Katherine Rundell

Paperback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$22⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Matihe! Achoo!

What happens when a grumpy tupua has to sneeze? Matihe! Achoo! is a bilingual story about the tupua Mataoho and his connection to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It comes with an action song to engage young readers! He pūrākau e pā ana ki a Mataoho me ngā puia o Takamaki Makaurau. He tupua pukukino a Mataoho e noho...

By Qiane Matata-Sipu

Paperback

$18⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Pocket Observology

Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...

By Giselle Clarkson

Paperback

$23⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
Pre-order
New Release

Minecraft Annual 2027

The official Minecraft Annual 2027, full of updates, builds, activities, and more! Discover all there is to know about the past year of Minecraft in this exciting annual. Stuffed to the brim with updates, activities, step-by-step builds, and tips and tricks for the game, this book is a must-have for any minecrafter. This year’s annual includes: Mob guides on happy...

By Mojang AB

Hardback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
Buy to Win
New Release

Giant Heart

Meet Jonah Lomu, one of the greatest All Blacks of all time. His speed and strength on the rugby field made him famous around the world, and his fun and generous personality made him beloved, but all the while he faced a big battle with his health. “[David Hill’s] stories are wonderful, full of action and are always teaching the...

By David Hill

Hardback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$25⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Protector of Beyond 1

Experience fierce magical creatures, perilous trials, and a heroine to root for in this 1st instalment in a new blockbuster fantasy series. The moment you enter the Arbiter, your fate is sealed. If you spark, you fight! And 12-year-old Elder Triss produces a spark like no other. Transported to the mysterious Beyond, Elder has no choice but to train for...

By Shara Curlett

Paperback

$21⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Animalia 40th Anniversary Edition

A beautiful, foiled collector's edition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Graeme Base's classic and bestselling Australian picture book, Animalia. Embark on a fantastical alphabetic adventure where each turn of the page unveils a rich tapestry of intricate illustrations tied to a unique letter of the alphabet. More than 5 million copies sold worldwide Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA)...

By Graeme Base

Hardback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$35⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

The Little Kiwi Builder

Oh no, the little kiwi builder's house is falling down! His screws have all come loose - what can he do? When the brickie, the plumber, the roofer, the sparky and the painter all come to help, it's looking good! Until, that night ... uh-oh! Perfect for: Anyone who likes fun and silly rhyming stories Reading aloud with little ones...

By Tim Saunders

Paperback

$18⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

You Choose Party Time

It's time to celebrate - Party Time is a brand new You Choose adventure! It's Party Time and you choose what happens! What kind of party will it be? Who will you invite? Which cake would you like to eat? Will you dance to a steel pan band or bagpipes? The possibilities are endless in this magical storytelling toolkit which...

By Pippa Goodhart

Hardback

$25⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$34⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

When Nature Calls (Duck #2)

New in 2026, the latest story from Duck, the quirky new children's series by million-copy bestselling author Matt Stanton. Do you ever wonder what animals think about humans? Do they feel they could do a better job running things? Would they ever try and take over? Duck, Mouse and Dog are alarmed that the adults in Redhill are being brainwashed...

By Matt Stanton

Paperback

$17⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$19⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

The Case of the Viral Video: Violet and the Velvets 3

Violet and the Velvets can hardly believe they've come so far in the BandChamps competition with only hard work, a smidge of talent, and a whole lot of thinking outside the box. This time, they get to record their new song in a proper recording studio and star in their very own music video! But Violet is letting her perfectionism...

By Rachael King

Paperback

$16⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$18⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Royalslinger

K Pop Demon Hunters fans will love this! Graci Kim is back with the second book in her exciting and fantastical Slinger series where dragons and phoenixes roam the skies of Seoul; meals magically appear based on your mood; and dreams literally come to life. Praise for Dreamslinger: “A mind-blowingly original fantasy adventure—Graci Kim has done it again!”—Rick Riordan, New York Times #1...

By Graci Kim

Paperback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.