Thanks for that, Graeme, and, as they say in file-sharing circles, to the original uploader. That's a nice cap.

My cousin and I loved this video back in the day. Anything with a guy breaking in it was 'choice'.

Wonderful! Love the guy in the waka too. Thanks.

Aaaah! And those wonderful Roger-mobiles heading away from Patea taking all the town's jobs at the freezing works and dairy factory with them. The railway jobs had long gone, of course, thanks to Roger's mate Ricky P.

This was the 80s, remember, when NZ was busily trying to emulate the US's obsession with investment portfolios instead of social welfare, not realizing the US was only obsessed with investments because a loophole in the federal tax legislation allowed employers to offer retirement savings plans to workers as a "perk".

A loophole wangled by one of the US's biggest employers, who later reneged on paying the workers back the compulsory contributions they took out of their pay packet for thirty years.

Sorry. Off topic. Great video!

I passed through Patea in August and stopped off at the Aotea remembrance arch. Sadly I wasn't able to get up on it and breakdance, but it's a remarkable arch, and makes Patea well worth a stop for visitors to South Taranaki.

There's also a Poi E information centre, but it was shut when I was there.

Oh, and my favourite bit from the Poi E video is the trendy '80s girls with the reased hair and eyeliner at about 3.20. They are also joined by a Maori Boy George.

Loved it ... thanks for putting it out there again.

Had to load and link back to it :)

This brings back some childhood memories.

Break dancing - Choice!

I showed some of my students today and they thought it was great. Can anyone point me in the direction of an English translation??

Can anyone point me in the direction of an English translation??

NZ Folk Song has a very informative page with not just the lyrics and a translation, but a bit of history about the song.

"__The twirling poi is often used as a symbol of a young woman's affections. They are volatile, but with some energetic training, they protect her from danger.__"

Love that song and I'd never seen the video before - thanks Graeme. That kid at 1:07 is so cute!

Our kids make me play this to them alll the time...thanks for the post

That dude did pull a backspin on a road didn't he...?
I tried mine out on the concrete floor at Sandwiches (Wgtn) one night. Not a forgiving surface...
Ask any chiropractor - everyone should carry a sheet of old floor vinyl.