The whales in the movie are a combination of footage of real whales, life size models (some with humans creating movement) and CGI. Keisha Castle-Hughes said the key whale riding scene took place 15-20 miles offshore, and was terrifying.
At the time, 13-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes was the youngest ever nominee for a Best Actress Academy Award. She has since been surpassed by Quvenzhané Wallis.
Much of the film is about Paikea doing traditional Maori things women were not supposed to do, like sitting in the canoe and fighting. The cast and crew performed special Maori chants to ward off traditional bad luck that might arise from Keisha Castle-Hughes doing those things.
In the director's commentary, Niki Caro said that Pai's crying speech scene was done in one take, using two cameras. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties there was a short break.Keisha Castle-Hughes's tutor and chaperon helped her to stay in character.
Koro teaches the boys a form of the Maori "haka" traditional dance. Various hakas are performed for many different occasions, by all genders and age groups. The most widely known haka is "Ka Mate," performed by New Zealand's All Blacks national rugby team before international matches as a challenge to their opponents.