Anahera is about to go on a very special journey. It begins with a song of farewell from her mokopuna, children, cousins and whānau. They have gathered to say farewell in waita and haka over three days, as part of her Māori culture.

Only when it is time, does Anahera give her final farewell to begin a new part of her journey, which will take her to a sacred place in New Zealand – the very tip of the North Island where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet.

The farewells are behind her, the greetings ahead.

This landscape style bilingual ( Māori/ English picture book is a beautiful story of a tangi (funeral / burial)of a loved one in a Māori family.

Farewell Anahera might show a special piece of Māori life but is a a comforting read for anyone of any place, who has lost someone.

The ethereal illustrations capture the grief, respect and peace as a family say goodbye and a journey to a sacred place (no matter a reader’s belief or religion) begins.

Like a hug in a book, Farewell Anahera is simply beautiful.

Author – Vanessa Hatley-Owen

Translated into te reo Māori by Kanapu Rangitauira.

Illustrator – Scott Irvine

Learn more about other Māori traditions when saying goodbye to a loved one here

(2023, David Ling Publishing, Duck Creek Press, Grief, Sorrow, Loss, Funeral, Culture, Tangi, Burial, NZ, New Zealand, Hawaiki, Rarohenga, Haka, Waita, Song, Family, Whānau, Māori)