{"product_id":"te-kaikaukau-the-swimmer-by-witi-ihimaera-smiler-9781776712380","title":"Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNovelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of \u003cem\u003ePounamu, Pounamu\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Whale Rider\u003c\/em\u003e – 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year i te ao o te reo – of sinking and floating; of loss and shame, connection and wairua; of fathers and teachers, kuia and friends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting and revealing memoir, \u003cem\u003eTe Kaikaukau | The Swimmer\u003c\/em\u003e sparkles with whaikōrero and whakataukī and is written for all – Māori and Pākehā, fluent reo Māori speakers and those for whom the language is still a mystery, a dream, an aspiration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is the story of a Māori New Zealander reclaiming his voice, history and whakapapa in contemporary Aotearoa. Of becoming Witi Ihimaera Smiler and drawing closer to his desire to write a novel in te reo for his beloved father Tom and his tīpuna.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Upstart Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47329029849324,"sku":"9781776712380","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/Ihimaera_Smiler_Te_Kaikaukau__67997.jpg?v=1771880451","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/products\/te-kaikaukau-the-swimmer-by-witi-ihimaera-smiler-9781776712380","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}