Pre-order

The Whale Rider

Name: The Whale Rider
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9781776951529
Price: 32.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Witi Ihimaera Smiler

Brief Description

Witi Ihimaera's timeless novel bound in a beautifully crafted, clothbound hardback edition for the Penguin Modern Aotearoa Classics series A stunning foil-stamped hardback cover makes this edition of Witi Ihimaera's classic novel a must have for any serious collector's library. 'As timely and as relevant as... Read More

Format: Hardback

$32⁹⁹

Elsewhere:

~~$40⁰⁰~~

Pre-order

Releases 20^th October 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order "The Whale Rider" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

The Whale Rider

$32⁹⁹

Elsewhere:

~~$40⁰⁰~~

Description

Witi Ihimaera's timeless novel bound in a beautifully crafted, clothbound hardback edition for the Penguin Modern Aotearoa Classics series

A stunning foil-stamped hardback cover makes this edition of Witi Ihimaera's classic novel a must have for any serious collector's library.

'As timely and as relevant as it was nearly forty years ago.' Shilo Kino

In this landmark novel that won international acclaim, a young girl breaks with tradition to take hold of her destiny.

Eight-year-old Kahu comes from a long line of Māori chiefs. The people of Whāngārā claim descent from Kahutia Te Rangi, the legendary whale rider. But now there is no male heir – there’s only Kahu. And the chief, Kahu’s grandfather, is blinded by tradition and sees no place for a girl. When hundreds of whales beach themselves, he and his tribe face an existential crisis. Will the one with the whale rider’s ancient gift finally be revealed?

An internationally bestselling novel that was made into an award-winning hit film.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781776951529

Publisher: Unknown

Format: Hardback

Imprint: Penguin

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 0g

Pages: 192

Collections

Classic Fiction Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Pre-order Books Pre-order General Fiction Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Witi Ihimaera Smiler

Also by Witi Ihimaera Smiler

View all

New Release

Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer

Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider – decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wānanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Māori. This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year...

By Witi Ihimaera Smiler

Paperback

$35⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$45⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Astromancer 3: Ariā and the Monster Island

Enter the realm of the Astromancer... In this award-winning illustrated series for younger fans of Percy Jackson, Māori myths and monsters come to life! Join the Astromancer and her apprentices on a time travel adventure to Hawaiki and meet Ruapakanga and his albatross warriors! 'An epic fantasy quest' - Magpies 'Chock full of danger, heroes, old wisdom and new blood'...

By Witi Ihimaera Smiler

Hardback

$22⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$25⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Te Kokorangi 3: A Aria Me Te Motu Pouakai

Enter the realm of Te Kokorangi... In this award-winning illustrated series, Maori myths and monsters come to life! Will the Astromancer's tribe survive its final battle? Join Te Kokorangi and her apprentices on a time travel adventure to Hawaiki and meet Ruapakanga and his tohora warriors! 'Katahi na te rapunga.' - Magpies 'Chock full of danger, heroes, old wisdom and...

By Witi Ihimaera Smiler

Hardback

$22⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$25⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Pre-order

The Star Path

A young whale searches for the whale rider's heir and a teenager takes an epic voyage to Antarctica with a fleet of waka hourua to claim his lost inheritance, in this breathtaking return to the world of global hit The Whale Rider, over thirty years on. From the internationally acclaimed author of The Whale Rider comes a novel about the...

By Witi Ihimaera Smiler

Paperback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$35⁰⁰~~

Pre-order
Out 29 Sep 2026

More from General Fiction

View all

The Wedding People

'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...

By Alison Espach

Paperback

$23⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

(3)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback)

Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set! In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not...

By Sarah J. Maas

Set

$124⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$155⁰⁰~~

(6)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
The Score

Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession... Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Score now for the perfect friends with benefits romance! He knows how to score, on and off the ice... Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn't have...

By Elle Kennedy

Paperback

$24⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Dylan's Pick

Theo of Golden

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...

By Allen Levi

Paperback

$28⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$34⁹⁹~~

(5)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
The Goal

Welcome to Briar U!Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!Read The Goal now for the perfect forced proximity romance! She's good at achieving her goals . . . College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick...

By Elle Kennedy

Paperback

$24⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
The Mistake

Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Mistake now for the perfect second chance romance! He's a player in more ways than one . . . College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants....

By Elle Kennedy

Paperback

$24⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
New Release

On Mystic Lake

One of the greatest storytellers of our time - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie...

By Kristin Hannah

Paperback

$31⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$38⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...

By Andy Weir

Paperback

$23⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁰⁰~~

(4)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
The Legacy

Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from the Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Legacy now for the much-anticipated answer to the question: Where are they now? Four stories. Four couples. Three years of real life after graduation . . . A wedding....

By Elle Kennedy

Paperback

$24⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
New Release

Lizzy's Pick

Yesteryear

A BOLD AND BITING SATIRE. WILL HAVE YOU GASPING TO THE FINAL PAGE — Nita Prose WICKEDLY FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE — Abigail Dean INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE — Ashley Audrain SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR AND LACED WITH DARKNESS — Clare Mackintosh The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale — Hannah Deitch My name was Natalie Heller...

By Caro Claire Burke

Paperback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$36⁹⁹~~

(2)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
New Release

Land

Inspired by the mapping of Ireland in the mid nineteenth century, Land, the new novel from the author of Hamnet, is at once intimate and epic: a portrait of a family navigating a legacy of upheaval and loss with love and hope. On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great...

By Maggie O'Farrell

Paperback

$31⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$37⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships tomorrow
New Release

Shirl's Pick

Sophie, Standing There

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss comes an achingly tender, poignant, funny and bittersweet story of love, loneliness and finding connection in the most unlikely of places. 'So smart, so funny, so moving - Mason has done it again, this time using behind the scenes of a literary festival to reveal the complexity of loneliness and how one woman...

By Meg Mason

Paperback

$30⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$37⁹⁹~~

(2)

In Stock
Ships tomorrow

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.