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“A girl”, Koro Apirana , our grandfather, said, disgusted. I will have nothing to do with her. She has broken the male line of descent in our tribe”. He shoved the telephone at our grandmother, Nani Flowers, saying, “Here. It´s your fault. Your female side was too strong”.
This quote exposes the main conflict of the novel, Koro's inability to accept the worth of women or the possibility that one might be the heir to the tribe. On top of that he blames his wife, which is even worse.

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He said he wanted to begin a regular instruction period for the men so that we would be able to learn our history and our customs. Just the men, he added, because men were sacred.
This sentence reflects the customs of the tribe in which the characters live in which women are not allowed in certain areas, they are not allowed to participate and their voice is not heard. They are therefore treated as inferior to men. Rawiri is the one who said it.

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So it was that ceremonials of respect were employed between man and the sea. For instance, fishing was sacred and women therefore did not go out with the men. Page 32.
Another example of the tribe´s mentality and the structure of their society.

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“Will we be ready?” he asked. “Will we have prepared the people to cope with the new challenges and the new technology? And will they still be Maori?”.
Porourangi is the one who said this quote. He is concerned that their customs are maintained as they are part not only of their history but also of their identity.

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Clara made it perfectly obvious that she was embarrassed by my presence and I was very saddened, at the reception, to hear her say to another guest. “He´s a friend of Jeff´s, You know our Jeff,always bringing home dogs and strays, but at least he´s not a native”. Her laugher glittered like knives .
This sentence takes place during the period when Rawiri moves away from home and meets other people and places, at a party his friend's mother describes him in this racist and derogatory way and it is when he truly opens his eyes to the discrimination that the Maori suffer.

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“I fell off the whale. If I was a boy I would have held on tight. I´m sorry, Paka. I´m not a boy.”
This quote is said by Kahu in the last pages of the book. She shows again  how much she cares about her great-grandfather's opinion, more than even being proud of her own feat or the fact that she survived, she preferred above all else to have his approval and that inferiority complex is shown throughout the book.

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Did you go to university, uncle? Koro says it´s a waste of time for a girl to go. Sometimes I wish I wasn´t a girl. Then Koro would love me more than he does. But I don´t mind.
This quote is said by Kahu in a conversation with Rawiri, here she openly exposes her feelings and the way she is grieving with her grandfather but that does not stop her from continuing to try to gain his approval and affection. She accepts without question the things her great-grandfather says as she is a child to the point of denying herself.

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“Girls can do anything these days. Haven´t you Heard you´re not allowed to discriminate against women anymore?” “ I don´t give a hang about women”, Koro Apirana said. “You still haven´t got the power”.
This sentence clearly shows Koro Apirana's personality, the fact that his own ideas and traditions have blinded him to the true value of the people around him and he constantly refuses to accept reality, he only believes what he considers "good".