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Hine and the Tohunga Portal
Hine and the Tohunga Portal is a fast-paced fantasy adventure. Hine and her brother, Hōhepa, unwittingly step through a portal into an ancient realm inhabited by the atua Māori (Māori deities), Kea bird tribes, patupaiarehe (fairy people), moa and giant eagles. This world is in turmoil as evil sorcerer Kae has built a cursed army and intends to rule this world and everything in it. He sees the opportunity to dominate the modern world as well, by kidnapping Hōhepa and using his life force to reopen the portal between the worlds. This sets Hine on a quest to learn ancient knowledge from the goddesses Hineteiwaiwa and Mahuika and her ancestors, find the medicine to revoke the curse on the warriors and gain the support of the Kea and patupaiarehe to fight Kae and rescue Hōhepa.
- GenresFantasy
269 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 16, 2021
Hine and the Tohunga Portal by Ataria Sharman (Tapuika, Ngāpuhi) is an enthralling and endearing middle grade fantasy novel. Siblings Hine and Hōhepa are transported to a another realm after a fight on the way home from kura. There they learn about Kae, an evil sorceror, who uses a treaty to decieve, curses animals and starts a gruelling war. Alongside patupaiarehe, Kea, ancestors and atua Māori they must find one another, a rongoā, and their identities.
This is for kids who crave books with constant action and adventure. It’s packed with taniwha, various battle scenes, an army of birds, no eyes men, a talking dog, multiple missions and a very dark villan.
In the first few pages I smiled seeing the consistent use of te reo Māori - as a bilingual whānau this means everything to us.
I adored the intuitive āhua of young Hine. On various occasions she taps into her power through karakia, matakite and her profound intuition. Hine is also exposed to her divine whakaapa connections in the meeting of wāhine Māori atua Mahuika and Hineteiwaiwa.
I felt the power of our connection to our ancestors in this story and was able to see the similarities between atua and the characters throughout. It felt so right.
Mahuikas grudge against Maui was hilarious, the kai described was mouth watering, the kapa haka elements were on point and the animal characters were pure joy.
The ending was also very special as it tied together the important lessons of loving your siblings, being wary in the taiao and the importance of knowing your whakapapa.
This is a story you can give to tamariki Māori knowing full well that it will uplift them, their culture and their worldview.
Really beautifully done and definitely recommended.
This is for kids who crave books with constant action and adventure. It’s packed with taniwha, various battle scenes, an army of birds, no eyes men, a talking dog, multiple missions and a very dark villan.
In the first few pages I smiled seeing the consistent use of te reo Māori - as a bilingual whānau this means everything to us.
I adored the intuitive āhua of young Hine. On various occasions she taps into her power through karakia, matakite and her profound intuition. Hine is also exposed to her divine whakaapa connections in the meeting of wāhine Māori atua Mahuika and Hineteiwaiwa.
I felt the power of our connection to our ancestors in this story and was able to see the similarities between atua and the characters throughout. It felt so right.
Mahuikas grudge against Maui was hilarious, the kai described was mouth watering, the kapa haka elements were on point and the animal characters were pure joy.
The ending was also very special as it tied together the important lessons of loving your siblings, being wary in the taiao and the importance of knowing your whakapapa.
This is a story you can give to tamariki Māori knowing full well that it will uplift them, their culture and their worldview.
Really beautifully done and definitely recommended.
November 1, 2021
Characters: great!
Beginning: great!
Writing: great! (especially all the reo thrown in)
Plot... not so great. Hine is caught; there's a fight; Hōhepa gets a secret mission; there's a fight; Hine gets a secret mission; another fight; Hōhepa is caught; fight fight fight. (repeat ad nauseam)
Ending: nice.
Two years ago I had not read any NZ kids/YA fantasy with a Māori based magic system. Yes, we had The Halfmen of O and Elizabeth Knox's stuff, but all pākeha. Admittedly there were a couple published a while ago which I just read recently, (I especially liked Guardian of the Dead) but they were written by pākeha.
Over the last 2-3 years we've had a sudden (and very welcome) influx of kids/YA fantasy based on Māori myth/magic! Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea, Falling into Rarohenga, Flight of the Fantail, the excellent The Pōrangi Boy, and my cousin's just recommended me Tui Street Tales.
So: we now have kids/YA fantasy with Māori magic systems
I've therefore changed my request: I want REALLY GOOD kids/YA fantasy with Māori magic systems!
Beginning: great!
Writing: great! (especially all the reo thrown in)
Plot... not so great. Hine is caught; there's a fight; Hōhepa gets a secret mission; there's a fight; Hine gets a secret mission; another fight; Hōhepa is caught; fight fight fight. (repeat ad nauseam)
Ending: nice.
Two years ago I had not read any NZ kids/YA fantasy with a Māori based magic system. Yes, we had The Halfmen of O and Elizabeth Knox's stuff, but all pākeha. Admittedly there were a couple published a while ago which I just read recently, (I especially liked Guardian of the Dead) but they were written by pākeha.
Over the last 2-3 years we've had a sudden (and very welcome) influx of kids/YA fantasy based on Māori myth/magic! Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea, Falling into Rarohenga, Flight of the Fantail, the excellent The Pōrangi Boy, and my cousin's just recommended me Tui Street Tales.
So: we now have kids/YA fantasy with Māori magic systems
I've therefore changed my request: I want REALLY GOOD kids/YA fantasy with Māori magic systems!
January 15, 2023
Two siblings find themselves transported into a spiritual realm where the evil powerful tohunga Kae is waging war in an effort to eventually take over the mortal world.
Pluses:
Great characters from Māori traditional tales like Mahuika (fire goddess), Hine-te-iwaiwa and her husband Tinirau, the patupaiarehe (fairy people) and many native creatures of Aotearoa. Traditional weapons used, importance of whanau and ancestry emphasised , and magic. Te Reo sprinkled throughout.
Minuses:
Plot wasn’t gripping, excessive description of battles, characters get gruesomely wounded but some inexplicably survive. Betrayal by Hine-te-iwaiwa just didn’t seen in character.
The addition of a glossary would be useful.
Pluses:
Great characters from Māori traditional tales like Mahuika (fire goddess), Hine-te-iwaiwa and her husband Tinirau, the patupaiarehe (fairy people) and many native creatures of Aotearoa. Traditional weapons used, importance of whanau and ancestry emphasised , and magic. Te Reo sprinkled throughout.
Minuses:
Plot wasn’t gripping, excessive description of battles, characters get gruesomely wounded but some inexplicably survive. Betrayal by Hine-te-iwaiwa just didn’t seen in character.
The addition of a glossary would be useful.
December 2, 2023
It is so cool that books like this exist - fantasy steeped in māori pūrākau, matching the energy of ya fantasy based on greek or british mythology. Heaps of te reo, heaps of action.
But this book is repetitive and very, very YA. I would say this is aimed at 10-12 (but with a warning for violence and death). Plot wise it is just too long and we don't spend enough time with any one character to actually invest in them.
3.5 stars - this is awesome to see, and māori YA fantasy can only get better and better.
But this book is repetitive and very, very YA. I would say this is aimed at 10-12 (but with a warning for violence and death). Plot wise it is just too long and we don't spend enough time with any one character to actually invest in them.
3.5 stars - this is awesome to see, and māori YA fantasy can only get better and better.
May 17, 2024
Overall, I enjoyed reading this story. I immigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand and describe myself as tangata Tiriti, which for the uninitiated means that I am technically not Pākehā but consider myself still bound by The Treaty of Waitangi. I'm emphasising this because this book will mean different things to, and carry more/less significance for, different audiences; there is at least one other review written by someone who is tangata whenua (Māori) that essentially makes this point for me.
My review will focus on literary aspects of the story. There are other reviews that touch on some of the same salient points, so I've picked out a few that haven't been mentioned yet:
1) As a student of te reo Māori, I found the integration of te reo and the centralisation of te ao Māori extremely helpful and the most compelling part of the story. I had to look up a few words now and then, but my vocabulary and awareness of contexts within te ao Māori have improved.
2) At times, the writing was poetic and gripping, and at others, the plot's momentum got bogged down in facts and descriptions, i.e. "telling" instead of "showing". It's evident in some passages that Sharman can "show" quite well, so I'm not sure why the writing isn't consistent throughout the narrative.
3) The plot points and arc were on the simplistic side, which is perhaps related to why it got bogged down through "telling" rather than "showing". Contrary to other reviews, I think the action scenes were hard to get through, rather than gripping or exciting.
4) I suspect Sharman simplified her writing style at times, maybe at the urging of a well-intentioned editor, in order to hit what someone considered a "middle-grade" audience. If I'm right, this is a shame because a) like I said before, some of her writing is spell-binding, and b) we don't need to dumb down sentence structure or language for younger readers. There's a place and time for simple language, like in school journals or phonics readers. Novels are meant to be poetic, and full of allegory, symbolism, and other literary techniques! That's how we cultivate a love of reading in our tamariki, vs. just learning how to read.
I hope that Sharman continues writing and leans into all of her talent, next time. I will regardless recommend this book to anyone who asks!
My review will focus on literary aspects of the story. There are other reviews that touch on some of the same salient points, so I've picked out a few that haven't been mentioned yet:
1) As a student of te reo Māori, I found the integration of te reo and the centralisation of te ao Māori extremely helpful and the most compelling part of the story. I had to look up a few words now and then, but my vocabulary and awareness of contexts within te ao Māori have improved.
2) At times, the writing was poetic and gripping, and at others, the plot's momentum got bogged down in facts and descriptions, i.e. "telling" instead of "showing". It's evident in some passages that Sharman can "show" quite well, so I'm not sure why the writing isn't consistent throughout the narrative.
3) The plot points and arc were on the simplistic side, which is perhaps related to why it got bogged down through "telling" rather than "showing". Contrary to other reviews, I think the action scenes were hard to get through, rather than gripping or exciting.
4) I suspect Sharman simplified her writing style at times, maybe at the urging of a well-intentioned editor, in order to hit what someone considered a "middle-grade" audience. If I'm right, this is a shame because a) like I said before, some of her writing is spell-binding, and b) we don't need to dumb down sentence structure or language for younger readers. There's a place and time for simple language, like in school journals or phonics readers. Novels are meant to be poetic, and full of allegory, symbolism, and other literary techniques! That's how we cultivate a love of reading in our tamariki, vs. just learning how to read.
I hope that Sharman continues writing and leans into all of her talent, next time. I will regardless recommend this book to anyone who asks!
February 8, 2025
This seems suited to the Y8-Y9 age group. Any new Māori vocabulary can be worked out using context (or clarified using Te Aka Māori Dictionary). It isn't onerous for those who are not fluent in te reo Māori.
Set in a parallel universe through a portal full of mākutu and matakite, Hine and Hōhepa, with the help of many forest dwellers, defy Kae (the shapeshifter) and his goal to rule both worlds.
Whilst my favourite character was Nohinohi, closely followed by Ngaro, Poutūterangi also stood out with her subtle yet apt appearances. The recurring instances of green mist, green light and pounamu contrasted well with Kae's black in this good vs evil plot.
It's a story about the corruption of power-seekers, burden of falling foul of trickery/betrayal, discovery of family, magic/strength of culture/whakapapa, strength of sibling loyalty, unlikely friendships and sacrifice for the common good.
Set in a parallel universe through a portal full of mākutu and matakite, Hine and Hōhepa, with the help of many forest dwellers, defy Kae (the shapeshifter) and his goal to rule both worlds.
Whilst my favourite character was Nohinohi, closely followed by Ngaro, Poutūterangi also stood out with her subtle yet apt appearances. The recurring instances of green mist, green light and pounamu contrasted well with Kae's black in this good vs evil plot.
It's a story about the corruption of power-seekers, burden of falling foul of trickery/betrayal, discovery of family, magic/strength of culture/whakapapa, strength of sibling loyalty, unlikely friendships and sacrifice for the common good.
January 15, 2023
Steeped in Maori mythology, this is a full on fantasy action-adventure tale centred around siblings - 8 year old Hohepa and his older sister Hine.
When Hohepa is snatched by some very unnerving no-eyes and taken into an alternate universe, Hine is determined to rescue him.
But that is easier said than done when you are fighting the evil sorcerer Kae, who is using an army of cursed animals to try and take over the world.
Hohepa is all part of Kae's evil plan and Hine has to use all of her new found allies - gods, tribes of birds and patupaiarehe - to rescue him.
Written at a fast pace, and interspersed beautifully with te reo throughout, this could potentially make a good readaloud for Year 6+ as there is plenty of scope for good discussion as well as great entertainment.
When Hohepa is snatched by some very unnerving no-eyes and taken into an alternate universe, Hine is determined to rescue him.
But that is easier said than done when you are fighting the evil sorcerer Kae, who is using an army of cursed animals to try and take over the world.
Hohepa is all part of Kae's evil plan and Hine has to use all of her new found allies - gods, tribes of birds and patupaiarehe - to rescue him.
Written at a fast pace, and interspersed beautifully with te reo throughout, this could potentially make a good readaloud for Year 6+ as there is plenty of scope for good discussion as well as great entertainment.
March 24, 2022
An exciting, adventurous, fantasy story of two sibling, Hohepa and Hine. Hohepa unexpectedly is taken into a portal where he encounters Maori gods, patupaiarehe, taniwha, and birds and animals of Aotearoa. Hine must rescue her brother, and in her quest must learn more of her tikanga and whakapapa.
A middle school read, and perhaps too scary for younger students.
A middle school read, and perhaps too scary for younger students.
November 6, 2025
School book read
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews