The Adventures of Tupaia - Courtney Sina Meredith and Mat Tait

Published by Allen & Unwin: Auckland, New Zealand, 2019.
Text by Sina Meredith. Illustrations by Mat Tait.

The second book I read cover to cover during my research for a Year 10 module, The Adventures of Tupaia tells the story of Captain Cook's Tahitian navigator and translator, Tupaia, as well as Tupaia's young assistant Taiata. The book is quite pictorial, with segments of it told in comic form and most pages having far more image than text, meaning that getting through it was a relatively simple process.

The book also portrays the story through Tupaia's worldview, meaning that the character 'Oro - the Tahitian God of War - also has an influence on the story, occasionally appearing in scenes involving some conflict or another. When Tupaia and Taiata eventually die, this worldview is continued, as the final pages present a 'crossing over' poetic event of sorts focussing on the Tahitian beliefs about such things.

By presenting the story of a lesser-known figure of New Zealand's history in a creative way The Adventures of Tupaia is an interesting read. Another great resource for the topic I'm teaching, and interesting for fans of New Zealand history as well.

Completed 15 March 2023.

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