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Kupe and the Great Octopus of Muturangi

By Mat Tait
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Brief Description
Kupe's voyage to Aotearoa! Kupe found that a huge, fearsome wheke (octopus) was taking all the fish in the ocean and the people of Hawaiki had nothing to eat.So Kupe chased that wheke across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean). Finally Hine-te-Aparangi, Kupe's wife, saw land and... Read More
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Kupe's voyage to Aotearoa, told and illustrated by award-winning author Mat Tait.

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Kupe's voyage to Aotearoa!

Kupe found that a huge, fearsome wheke (octopus) was taking all the fish in the ocean and the people of Hawaiki had nothing to eat.

So Kupe chased that wheke across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean).

Finally Hine-te-Aparangi, Kupe's wife, saw land and a long white cloud: Aotearoa!

Find out what happened when the wheke and Kupe had a massive battle . . .

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781991142450

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 24 March 2026

Country: New Zealand

Imprint: A&U Children's NZ

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Width: 235.0mm

Height: 300.0mm

Weight: 456g

Pages: 36

Collections

2025 Best Sellers Best Sellers at Book Hero Best Selling Books Children's Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational In Stock Books In stock Children's Books In Stock Kid's Books Mat Tait New Zealand and Australia Published New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adult New Zealand Children's Books New Zealand Published

About the Author

Mat Tait is a South Island-based illustrator of European and Māori descent. He gained a BFA in painting from Ilam School of Arts and now lives and works in the Motueka area.

He's the author of Te Wehenga, which won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2023 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. He illustrated The Adventures of Tupaia, written by Courtney Sina Meredith, for which he was the recipient of the Russell Clark Award for Illustration at the 2020 NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

His comics work has been published widely both locally and internationally, including The Heading Dog Who Split In Half with writer Dr Michael Brown.

Mat is a fluent speaker of te reo Māori. He tutors under the kaupapa of Te Ataarangi, and continues to learn.

Also by Mat Tait

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  • Te Wehenga
    Winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Awards Winner Best Children's Book, PANZ Book Design Awards 2023 Te Wehenga is the separation of Ranginui, sky-father, and Papatūānuku, earth-mother. Award-winning illustrator Mat Tait has written and illustrated this stunning retelling of the Māori creation story for a new generation. Te reo Māori and English are...
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  • Kupe me te Wheke nui a Muturangi
    Te haerenga a Kupe ki Aotearoa! I ako a Kupe mō te wheke nui, mō te wheke wehi nāna tonu ngā ika o te moana i kai, arā, kua kore ngā kaimoana hei kai mā ngā tāngata o Hawaiki.Nā, ka whāia taua wheke rā e Kupe, ka whiti atu i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.Nāwai rā, ka kite a Hine-te-Aparangi i tētahi whenua...
    By Mat Tait
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