A classic novel that became a classic film. This novel is one of a dozen classics released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision- 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it.' In this international bestseller, Kahu feels destined to become the leader of her tribe in the East Coast village of Whangara. But her grandfather, Koro Apirana, refuses to accept that a girl could take over from him as chief. When a pod of whales is beached, Kahu has to act if she is to save them and her people.