At the foot of the Urewera ranges lies Awhi Tapu - a desolate forestry village. With the forestry industry closed down, most have left - Wendyl, Sonny, Casper and Girl Girl have only each other and their fertile imaginations to rely on. This work presents a story of loss, belonging, but most of all, friendship.
This is an assigned text for my upcoming university course, so I thought I'd get a head start and give it a go. I've always loved reading plays, and Awhi Tapu was an easy read. At times it was predictable, but I did appreciate the honest, raw portrait of losing your home and heritage. The internal struggle of clinging to what you know and love, vs conforming to the outside world. However, I didn't find myself enthralled. This can often be the case when reading a play, as it doesn't have as much power as a production does. I'd definitely see this in a theatre.
I'm looking forward to going more in depth with the play, but on a first read it didn't capture me enough to give it more than a 3.5 stars.