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About the retreat
This authentic Haka Taparahi is composed and taught by Toroa Aperahama.
Māori elder
Toroa Aperahama
WHAT IS HAKA TAPARAHI?
Haka Taparahi is symbolic, ceremonial, and motivational. It expresses your personal connection to your environment, your region/tribe, and your culture. It is performed with gentleness and with power, the passion is always powerful!
IN MY ROOTS...
“I was born in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and lived my first ten years on that sacred land.
My roots carry the memory of the Māori people who hold the land, who guard the ancestral wisdom and the heartbeat of Papatuanuku, Mother Earth.”
Eva
You will have a unique opportunity to:
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Learn and perfect this original Haka in its completeness.
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Perform it in Māori as Haka, and in your own native language as a dance and title unique to your culture.
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Discover the power of your language and how it connects you to ancestral memory.
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Learn about the Māori philosophy behind the Haka, its origins, and its meaning.
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Connect to your inner Power through voice, body, and intention.
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Experience Haka with men and women together, in a supportive space of unity.
BRIDGE
CULTURES
Weaving Māori and Dutch (and any other culture), ancient and modern, men and women, into one song of peace.
ACTIVATE
REMEMBRANCE
Haka is not performance; it is a call back to Source, to your tribe, to your Earth, to your body as a vessel of truth.
CALL FOR
PEACE
In a world that is challenged by separation, we gather to “bury the axe” (Tanu Te Toki), to embody reconciliation within ourselves and with each other.
EMPOWER VOICE
AND PRESENCE
Discovering the strength of your own language, your own culture, and uniting it with the Haka Taparahi.
RETURN TO
UNITY
Men and women standing together in one field, strong, gentle, and alive.
TO STAND AS
ONE TREE
Many roots, many branches, united in the prayer for peace and the remembrance of our power.
Intentions of this Haka Retreat
This is about entering a sacred current, guided by the elders, blessed by the Māori grandmothers, and carried by the land of Aotearoa itself.
The Program
Friday — Meet & Greet (5:00pm–10:30 pm)
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Arrival, welcome, settling into the space.
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Introduction circle.
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Talk: The world of Haka, its origins, meanings, types, rituals, and protocols.
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Participants receive the first immersion: Learning that Haka is not just a dance, but a living ancestral transmission.
By Saturday morning, everyone is already immersed in the sacred context of Haka.
Saturday — Deep Dive into Haka
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Morning embodiment practices.
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Learning the Haka Taparahi “Tanu Te Toki / Bury the Axe” in its original form.
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Exploring voice, breath, and movement.
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Translating the Haka into your own native language and cultural expression.
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Evening: reflection, group sharing, grounding ritual.
Sunday — Integration & Celebration
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Morning practice: weaving power and gentleness.
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Learning the Mōteatea lullaby (original composition).
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Closing with Te Aroha (Love Song), sung first in Māori, then in Dutch.
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Final ceremony: men and women together, performing Haka Taparahi as one unified field.
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Closing gratitude circle honoring Toroa Aperahama, the Māori grandmothers, and all ancestors.
The closing ceremony begins around 3:00–3:30 pm.
We complete by 4:00–4:30 pm, when everyone departs, carrying the power, peace, and blessings of the retreat back into their lives.
Venue & Accomodation
Our retreat takes place at Hof van Axen, a sanctuary of peace, ceremony, and pure connection to the land.
THE LAND
Hof van Axen is more than a retreat center; it is a paradise with a lake, lovingly cared for by Sonja and Jan.
It is a ceremonial place, where even the ancient Lakota elders come twice a year to hold their sacred ceremonies.
This is also where I entered my first sweat lodge, a place that truly carries spirit and feels like home.
ACCOMMODATION
10 double bedrooms (shared).
Caravan or campervans are welcome.
Please bring your own bed linen.
Bathrooms are shared (downstairs).
The entire place is beautiful, pure, and deeply supportive of the sacred work we will do together.
THE FOOD
The food at Hof van Axen is fresh, nourishing, and pure. Much of it is grown directly on the grounds, prepared with care and love.
All diets are welcome and respected, meals are shared in the spirit of community, connection, and beauty.
We look forward to welcoming you into this sacred space, to stand together in unison, to embody the Haka, and to walk away with peace, power, and love alive within you.
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“We are the Tree of Life. Rooted in peace. Rising in power.”
With Love,
Eva