Some of Aotearoa's most scenic lakes and rivers provide the battle ground for our proud wahine. We follow them throughout their gruelling training schedules and onto the exhilaration of race day. Hit the water with Kaihoe Wahine and get a taste of a proud sport that is defining a generation.

Over the course of the series we take you inside the lives of ordinary people with an extraordinary pastime. At 5am in the morning mothers, teachers, even grandmothers, are out on the water sweating it for the cause. We see first-hand the sacrifice it takes to be the best of the best. We experience the highs of victory and the disappointments of defeat.

Focusing on four clubs from across the country, we countdown to the 2008 National Waka Ama Sprint Champs. Representing their many tribes and regions, the women featured each have their own stories to tell on the journey to gold medal glory; but there can be only one winner on the day and we will be there every step of the way to watch the drama unfold.

Inextricably linked to Maori ancestry, waka are well known for their role in the arrival of Maori to Aotearoa, making it clear that they are as much a part of culture, ceremony and tribal memory now, as they were then. Re-popularised after being brought back from Tahiti and Hawaii, women have taken to the water in droves, proving they still carry the spirit of Kupe. The uplifting stories of fighting against the odds and winning at all costs continue today.

Pick your team and experience the exhilaration of race day!

Kaihoe Wahine, Sunday 25 May at 8:30pm only on Maori television.

Episode 1 - TX 25th May
Episode 2 - TX 1st June
Episode 3 - TX 8 June
Episode 4 - TX 15th June
Episode 5 - TX 22nd June
Episode 6 - TX 29th June
Episode 7 - TX 6th July


For More information contact:
Julia Parnell
Producer
+64 93734505
[email protected]