Waitapu is a collection of interconnected short stories set in a small rural town in New Zealand. Its characters take us beneath the supposed tranquillity of small towns to reveal the heartbreak, kindness and survival of everyday lives. Sisters Ruby and Rowena reconnect, Mereata senses her tīpuna beside the river and Harriet goes missing from the rest home. Waitapu is an intimate and moving portrait of rural New Zealand life for both Māori and Pakeha and addresses important life issues such as aging, deprivation and family violence.