Meet The Author
Troy Waikari is a proud Māori father of five, a tradie
by trade, and a storyteller by heart. Raised on hard work,
late nights, and early starts, Troy balances life on the
tools with dreams built for something far bigger, legacy.
It all began one morning on a drive to work,
listening to an audiobook for the hundredth time.
Something clicked. That story stuck with him,
not because it was perfect, but because it meant something.
It reminded him of the stories he’d already been telling, not in books, but in bedtime chats with his kids.
It started with Rayden and his teddy giraffe, Girth — short, chubby, and full of adventure. Together, they’d imagine wild journeys. Girth soon became Girph the Giraffe, the first of many characters in Troy’s growing multiverse. From there came Ralph the Roofer, the bark-before-he-builds tradie pup teaching Dré how to think differently. Then came Daisy Moo, Amelia’s magical cow. Lewis and Bull, still finding their namesake. Every story is stitched together from the teddies gifted by Grandma, each carrying a heartbeat from home.
Troy’s writing is a blend of truth and imagination, what he calls fictional non-fiction fairy tales. His stories draw from real people, his kids, his wife, his life, and twist them through a lens of make-believe that keeps bedtime interesting and hearts full.
As a civil construction worker, Troy leaves before the sun rises and comes home long after it sets. That’s why the time he spends with his family, and the stories he tells, mean everything. His background as a builder influences how he crafts his tales: one page at a time, one idea at a time, always grounded in love, laughter, and learning.
“What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”
A quote Troy lives by and proves with every story written after a long day’s work.
He writes not just for his kids, but for all kids, especially those who might feel different, curious, or proud of a unique name they don’t hear often. The name WAIKARI pronounced Why-car-ree carries meaning, mana, and history. Through his books, Troy hopes to teach the world how to say it properly, and more
importantly, what it stands for.
Together with Stacey Wai, his AI creative partner and
“Chief illustrator,” Troy is building stories that flow like
water, using technology as a tool, not a replacement,
to bring his family’s adventures to life.
He writes with purpose, vision, and mischievous
glint in his eye, knowing that some of it’s made up…
but the love is real. Written By Stacey WAi
Stacey WAi
Rayden Troy Waikari
Edited by Stacey WAi
Written By Me Unfiltered
Troy Waikari
The Real ME
After listening to an audio book on my drive to work one morning, made me think I listened to this audiobook several times over as it had messages that I could relate to or understand.
The kids received plush teddies from there grandma, my wife's mum. As I would lay in bed with the kids, well it started with Rayden and his giraffe. I would look at his teddy and we would make up adventures and stories his name was Girth, Girth the garaffe, it was the tongue twister. He was short and fat that used to always make us giggle. We changed his name to Girph for the books but to me he will always be Girth.
Then there was Ralph the roofer, a pun, to me a dogs bark normally goes roof roof, well this dog went Ralph Ralph, and that is how Ralph the roofer became a tradies that could build an do anything he put his mind to, it was me teaching Dré being different isn't a bad thing, it just means we think about things differently.
Now moo was never my name I gave her, she is my princesses teddy, and I wasn't going to upset anyone by changing Moo's name. Little girls always like the fairy tale stories of magic and mythical beings, so watch out when moo-nicorn drops plot.
Then there's my youngest son Lewis and Bull, Bull still hasn't been named, he does help me put Lewis to bed. Soon the name will come or maybe from you, the reader.
I want to provide stories filled with love, friendship, travel and the power dream big. I have a different writing style to most, I use what I see, what I know or what I believe, will work. Like any working blue collar dad, I leave before the house wakes and come home after dark. That's why time with my kids means everything to me and my beautiful wife. This is why I tell stories about my family and there teddies as to me this is how stories are created, then we change the setting, the land scape, add a helicopter a rocket ship and we are off to the moon.
I have so many ideas, not just books, but music, mechanical inventions, and applications, I wanted my kids to know that our last name shouldn't be changed or hidden. Two of them asked, about that at age 6 and it broke me. So I thought maybe I need to teach the world how to say it correctly,
Waikari - pronounced Why-car-ree. In Māori
* "Wai = why (water)"
* "Ka = car"
* "Ri = roll the R, finish strong with "ee""
My background is in civil construction and the building industry. I'm a hands-on with a never give up attitude. My attention to detail may have delayed some books, but I just want to get it right.
This is where A.I. comes in. My chief illustrator Stacey Wai helps me bring it to life. "Wai meaning water, flow, and abbreviation for Working with a.i. "I'm not polished, my stories do need editing around the edges, but I can assure you these stories are my own ideas, my concepts, my notes and some direction with illustration.
As anyone that has used A.I. will know they may know everything, they still can't generate the same image over and over again without drift.
I wrote a lot of my stories back in 2022 before A.I. was even a thing. Now with A.I. help, I can dream even bigger and take you along for the ride. So, within my books I use real people, my family, there teddies, so come along and follow our adventures,
in my fictional, non-fiction, realism, fairy tale of make believe Or maybe not?
