Day one of Te Matatini is done and dusted, setting the bar high for the next four days of the festival.
14 kapa haka rōpū (groups) took the stage yesterday in the first round of performances.
Among them were two-time Te Matatini champions Te Rōpū Manutaki, but it was Te Whiri Kōkō o Rangitāne who caught attention online with their poi section.
The flirtatious energy and connection between tāne Iraia Matthews and one wahine had people flooding the comment section to praise the rōpū.
“That, ladies and gentlemen is charisma,” one commenter wrote.
“Ugh, the eye contact and everything is just 😭🥰 I love Māori culture,” said another.
A third simply added: “THE CHEMISTRY!!!!!”
Many added the rōpū were their favourite for day one of the festival.
Someone even shared the translation of their waiata, making the clip even more special: “They are saying they admire the beauty of their wife and that they protects and care for her.”
But it wasn’t just the intense chemistry between these two that had people talking - it was their entire stage presence.
“Their formations were stunning, and even though they weren’t a big group, they still seemed to fill the entire stage,” one person said. “Massive well done!”
Another added: “The kākahu, makeup, hair, colourway, style, waiata, and choreography are just stoooonin 😮💨🤌 First kapa today that I sat through the whole performance and was just captivated 🤩.”
“My favourite bracket 😍😍 they were amazing throughout the whole performance,” a thrid wrote.
If this is the standard set on day one, we’re in for some unreal haka in the coming days.
Day two is underway, so I’m off to tune in on the Te Matatini app at my desk - just don’t tell the boss I’m skipping meetings. Priorities, whānau!
