Ngā Roimata o te Tūrama

About

The kupu of this waiata came from a moment of my life I will never forget — one clear, starry evening on the shore of Whangamatā. I sat alone in the tall beach grass, reflecting on what had been a very tumultuous time in my life, and thinking about how much more was yet to come. I lost myself in my sadness, and the tears began to flow. As they did, I looked up, and saw the tears of the heavens sparkling, piercing the deep night sky, as if it cried with me. As I knelt, alone and afraid, they began to sing — sad songs, joyous songs, songs of sunshine and melancholy, and hope. Always hope. As the waves crashed on the shore, so did my tears burst upon my cheek. As those stars sang to me, embraced me and comforted me, so did my own song fly from within me. This is that song.

At first, I was inspired to write a set of three poems, which revolve around similarly profound and life-changing moments. The poem, 'Tears of Light' features as the third in the set. Although I had originally only written these poems for myself, once they were finished I knew two things — one, that I wanted to write a version of each of them in Te Re Māori, and two, that I wanted to set them to music. Thus, Ngā Roimata o te Tūrama was born. This version of my poem not only brings forth the heartaches we may face day to day, but also that of the wildlife and the land around and below us. Though our souls may share pain, the stars above are always watching, and will light the way back to the right path.