Rangi is excited to be part of his Kapa Haka group travelling to Hawai’i to perform. He’s looking forward to swinging his poi on stage and showing his skills with them.

Standing alone, he meets Punawai from Honolulu. Puna for short, shows Rangi their ipu heke, used to keep the rhythm and beat to a song. Rangi shows them his poi, explaining what they used to do, and how they use them now.

They meet Kalo from Tonga and Vai from Samoa, who also have taonga from their countries for their performances. The four of them notice a group of other performers laughing at them. Rangi is used to it, proud of his poi skills even though he’s a boy. Puna, Vai and Kalo can relate to Rangi with this too, as they are seen as different in their cultures.

Puna tells them he is Māhū with male and female energy and spirit. Vai is fa’afafine – born a boy with feminine traits being a natural caregiver in their village. Kalo is fakaleitī or leiti and proud of who they are.

‘I don’t know if there’s a Māori word for people like me, but I’m going to find out when I get home,’ said Rangi.

Rangi enjoys the rest of the festival, watching his new friends perform on stage with their cultural groups. On the last day, he enjoys catching up with them all together and hoping that they’ll all meet together another day.

This bilingual (Māori / English) picture book is the sequel to Rere Atu Taku Poi – Let My Poi Fly

Both books follow Rangi who is deemed different by his kapa haka team members because he is the only boy who swings poi. He’s very skilled and despite this difference and his team mocking him, he is proud to perform. He’s pleasantly surprised to meet others like him, who are also seen as different in their villages or islands.

Rere Atu ki Poronihia – Flight to Polynesia introduces three other performers from Samoa, Tonga and Hawai’i who are also transgender or gender fluid – explaining how they are seen in their communities and to themselves.

Each page has Māori first with English below, telling the story of a boy who is proud of his differences, and happy to meet other just like him who love kapa haka and performing as themselves. At the bottom of many pages are translations of special words from Māori to English, which helps all readers build their reo skills.

The illustrations portray each culture in colour and motion and the joy of performing and being part of a cultural festival. My favourite image is the back cover where four new friends from different islands in the Pacific have their arms around each other in a line of belonging.

A beautiful and heartwarming story about diversity and Polynesian cultures.

Author – Tangaroa Paul

Illustrator – Luca Tu’avao Walton

Picture Book

See the first book in Rangi’s story here

(2026, Oratia Books, Aotearoa New Zealand, Bilingual, Sequel, New Zealand, Friendship, Series, Real Life, Polynesia, Hawai’i, Pacific Nations, Tongan, Samoan, Cultural Festival, Performing, Kapa Haka, Diversity, Gender Fluid, Differences)