On Sunday 22 October 2023, our first storytelling group meeting was held at Tōia (Ōtāhuhu Library).
We had a cozy group of three and shared many stories ranging from the revival of a Māori instrument called kōauau, a childhood in the house where four generations shared, breadfruits and slavery, Pitcairn Islands ancestry, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Dr. Seuss, to a Japanese myth about how a rabbit ended up on the moon!
To me, the most exciting part was that we straightaway established a safe environment to open up, share and enjoy one another’s stories. Many, many more stories to follow!
The picture above was taken by one of the participants, Chris.
What an ingenuity to capture this special occasion with a polaroid camera! Unlike digital photos, this is the only copy that exists in the world. Isn’t that so beautiful?
There were a few other people who couldn’t make it on the day, but they sound really amazing, too! An aspiring comic book writer, a stand-up comedian, and a photographer/ artist!
I’m really looking forward to the next meeting!
Keep an eye out for the details for the next one here or on one of my SNS’s!
English Rakugo NZ 
Beautiful…looks like such a nice catch-up and interesting conversation. The one and only Polaroid makes it extra special
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Thank you so much for your comment, and my apology for my super late reply!!! My brain is a bit confused with all the different platforms…
Their stories were really AMAZING, and I was especially excited listening to a story about how one of the storytellers’ ancestors ended up in NZ. It reminded me of my ancestors, who were pirates 😁
Kia pai te rā!
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I’m very keen to learn more about your pirate ancestors that’s absolutely fascinating! Sorry for the delay in my response I’m on holiday right now in Japan and I’m in Osaka at the moment, I kinda remember you telling me you are from this region, is that right? We love Osaka, people here are super friendly and laid back here and the night life is amazing! I hope you are going well, take care e hoa
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Thank you for your comment! According to our oral tradition, my ancestors were members of wakou (or wokou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wokou) and based in Tsushima Island. Because of their fighting skills, they were promoted as samurai warriors, ending up becoming the martial arts instructors for the feudal lord of Tsushima 🙂
I learned about your trip on your Mastodon/ blog. Sounds like you are having fantastic time! My dad is from Nara, but we have a lot of my relatives living in Osaka. I grew up near Tokyo 🙂 Osaka is the comedy capital of Japan, by the way!
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
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That’s a very interesting family history and one to share stories about for sure! will enjoy the rest of my time here, we’ve got planned to see a few more sights then coming back in a few days I dont want to go back to my job and my real life now hahaha.
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