Written for shadow puppets. Aoraki was a young boy who, along with his three brothers, were the sons of Rakinui, the Sky Father. On their voyage around the Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, their canoe became stranded on a reef and tilted. Aoraki and his brothers climbed onto the top side of their canoe.
The Story Of Aoraki was originally a scene within Summer Starlight Winter Moon, a multimedia presentation written for puppets and commissioned by the Aoraki Festival 1998.