These are the “manu” jumpers – people who get a thrill and sometimes compete – in the sport of manu, a unique New Zealand diving technique similar to a bomb, developed by Māori and Pasifika communities, and which has now become a national pastime.
Popping a manu: New Zealand’s unique water jumping obsession Similar to a bomb, the diving style developed by Māori and Pasifika communities has become a national pastime.
“It’s like an unspoken cultural rule in New Zealand – whenever you’re around water and there is something to jump off, you pop a manu,” says Nikita Hauraki, 26, who has been popping manus since she was a child.
Manu jumper Pone Kahotea, 34, has been doing the sport in Tauranga, on the North Island’s east coast, since he was a kid.
“Everyone knows what a manu is, what it entails, how much hype is around it, even though not everyone has tried it out,” she says.
