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Te Waka Huia
June 24, 2016 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
a new work by naomi bartley
23 & 24 June Open Rehearsals (free pls book)
24 June Public Reading (Koha donation)
So, what is Te Waka Huia all about? Well, here is some background.
Fifty three years ago, a bus crashed on the Brynderwyn hills. Fifteen people died making it New Zealand’s worst road accident ever. Most of the passengers were from Helensville so it had a huge and devastating impact on the small town. Yet silence surrounds the tragedy, and few residents today know anything about it. (A TV documentary was made about it last year: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/…/descent-…/brynderwyn-bus-crash-1963)
Te Waka Huia was written in response to this silence. Different from the documentary, it is a work of fiction set in the present day. It features two teenage characters who discover an old man living in a derelict bus on the edge of Helensville. Through this discovery, the details of the Brynderwyn crash come to light. It’s a touching story about friendship and belonging and the ongoing effects of silent grief. . . .
Naomi Bartley began writing Te Waka Huia 4 years ago at the urging of some of the survivors and whanau members connected to bus crash. She hopes it will be a meaningful tribute to those who lost their lives, and also an opportunity for the wider community to learn more about an event that is a significant part of the history of Helensville.