Ko Horouta te waka
Ko Moehau te maunga
Ko Tikapa te moana
Ko Ngāti Porou ki Harataunga te iwi
Ko Harataunga te hapū
Ko Te Paea o Hauraki te marae
I tipu ahau I te maru o te maunga o Taranaki
Ko Steph Julian ahau
Horouta is my canoe
Moehau is my mountain
Tikapa/Hauraki Gulf is my waterway
Ngāti Porou ki Harataunga is my tribe
Harataunga is my sub-tribe
Te Paea o Hauraki is my meeting house
I grew up in the shadow of Mount Taranaki
I am Steph Julian
My Story
Kia ora, I'm Steph. I grew up in Taranaki and travelled and lived around the world in my twenties and thirties, picking up a Norwegian husband on a beach in Vietnam as my most long-standing souvenir before returning to live under Taranaki Maunga. I have two beautiful daughters and a thoroughly spoiled dog called Rocco. I've told stories in some form or another for as long as I can remember; through speeches, poems, short stories, articles and scripts.
I'm currently working on my manuscript, Penny Pounamu and the Disappearing Tigers, which is a Junior Fiction novel for young (or young at heart) readers. In this story, 13-year-old Penny is pushed through a portal in a Taranaki backyard and finds herself in another world where tigers talk and Penny suddenly has the power to save the tigers from the evil Ashbloods and Axe-hands if only she can discover the hidden taonga.
Penny Pounamu and the Disappearing Tigers has been written for all readers but especially those who, sometimes, love animals more than people and know that deep inside they too have the power to make a big difference in the world.