Falling into Rarohenga

Sixteen-year-old Tui is fed up with twin brother Kae who has been off the rails since mum and dad split up. When their father kidnaps their mother, the pair are unexpectedly dragged into the drama. Pulled through a portal to Rarohenga, the Underworld, their quest to save their mother begins. But strange forces and threaten their journey.

This adventure story weaves Maori mythology, spirits and the underworld with a contemporary setting and engaging teenage heroes. Chapters alternate being narrated by Tui or Kae, giving the book a strong young adult voice and making the story appeal to both male and female audiences. Steph was selected as a writer on the Te Papa Tupu writing programme where she worked on Flight of the FantaiI, which was published in 2018 along with Whetu Toa and the Magician. Steph's writing has been published in the School Journal, Annual 2 edited by Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris, in Playmarket's New Zealand Play Series, in Kiwiparent magazine and Huia Short Stories 12. Steph won best script at the Taranaki regional finals for the 48-hour short film awards in 2016 and was selected for the national finals. Her work A Story of Rona won a 2013 Playmarket award and has been published in the Playmarket anthology Stage Adventures: Eight Classroom Plays.

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