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 Wananga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Maori. This 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. A riveting and revealing memoir, Te Kaikaukau The Swimmer sparkles with whaikorero and whakatauki and is written for all - Maori and Pakeha, fluent reo Maori speakers and those for whom the language is still a mystery, a dream, an aspiration. It is the story of a Maori 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 tipuna.

• Format: Paperback / softback
• Publication Date: 14/05/2026
• Publisher: Auckland University Press
• Illustrations: 14 colour illustrations (photographs)
• Country of Origin: New Zealand
• Edition: Auckland
• Pages: 340