‘Saumolia’ brings ocean kings, curses and identity battles to South Auckland stage

Ancient curses, ocean gods, reincarnation, and lovers crossing lifetimes through dreams.

These are not typical themes in Pacific theatre.

But in Saumolia: King of the Ocean, they come together in a story that is as much about identity as it is about fantasy.

The debut play by Nathan Sikoti-Naik follows Fale and Rachel, two former lovers reunited across centuries as they break a curse that threatens their future.

A courageous Afakasi voice

But underneath the supernatural world is something more grounded. A personal story about a Sāmoan/Tongan/Indian/Chinese/Irish man growing up as an afakasi (half-caste) in Aotearoa, and what it means to claim identity when you are "stuck in the middle”.

Saumolia: King of the Ocean poster. Photo/Facebook

"Being Sāmoan is not who I'm trying to be. It's who I am," Sikoti-Naik tells PMN Sāmoa.

As a child, he says he often faced questions about where he fit - being “too Palagi”, “not Sāmoan enough”, and not fluent in Gagana Sāmoa.

Now, that experience sits at the centre of his work.

Watch the full interview with Nathan Sikoti-Naik and Daedae Tekoronga-Waka below.

“I am a proud Sāmoan man who was born in New Zealand. I'm very passionate about my heritage, my culture. It's always a love for my culture that I have.”

A supernatural fusion

Sikoti-Naik is the writer, producer and lead actor in the production. He says the idea for Saumolia came from a mix of influences - from watching the TV series, Charmed, as a teenager to his mother's stories about Sāmoan sea gods and giants.

He also draws inspiration from Pacific theatre, plays like, The Liar, the Thief and the Coward and Pele the Goddess of Fire.

“But the ultimate inspiration was Manamea by Sau e Siva Creatives, that show has just inspired me so much," Sikoti-Naik says.

“When I was visualising Saumoalia, the Sāmoan ocean king, I kind of saw myself as this, which is a bit similar to me in my life, as this snazzy, charming, working man who's smart, sassy, but tough.”

At 40, Sikoti-Naik says this first production is about more than performance, it is about owning identity without waiting for permission.

Navigating the tapu

On stage, that identity is explored through afakasi characters navigating love, loss, and belonging across lifetimes. But bringing supernatural Pacific themes to life came with responsibility.

Female lead Daedae Tekoronga-Waka (Cook Islands, Māori) says the team had to be careful when blending Western fantasy ideas with Fa'a Sāmoa beliefs that are considered tapu (sacred).

“Just staying aware of that when trying to fuse this Western idea into that (Fa’a Sāmoa), we were like, ‘hold on let’s be careful with that’,” Tekoronga-Waka says.y

“So having those conversations and navigating those and also finding comparisons between our Māori side, our Cook Islands, our Fiji, Tongan, and seeing how we all intersect has definitely been a beautiful journey.”

The ‘hustle-mode’ reality

Saumolia was developed over two years while the cast worked full-time day jobs, often sharing scripts and voice notes on lunch breaks and rehearsing after hours.

Sikoti-Naik credits the collective effort of mentors and collaborators in launching the show as a testament and reality for many Pacific artists in Aotearoa - creating big work with limited time while supporting the community.

Tickets for Saumolia: King of the Ocean’s final showing at Māngere Arts Centre are available here.