KAPETAUA'S ESCAPE.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 250, 21 October 1924, Page 7

KAPETAUA'S ESCAPE.

THE NAMING OF ORAKEI. In a recent issue of the "Star" there ■was an interesting account of how Orakei got its name, the facts of which were contained in a speech made by Mr. Wiremu Ngapipi Reweti on the occasion of tho presentation of the Davis Cup to the.. Kapetaua Football Club. Mr. George Graham then wrote to the "Star" and gave a different version of the old story. In commenting upon Mr. Graham's letter, Mr. Reweti now points out that Maori history varies in different districts, as all Maori history was oral, none of it being written. After reading Mr. Graham's letter Mr. Reweti made further inquiries and unearthed some new facts, which show that Kapetaua, whose father was Tawaka, belonged to the Ngatipuru hapu of the Waiohua tribe, and of the Huakaiwaka of the pa that used to crown Maungawhau, or Mount Eden, as it is called by the pakeha. As a youth, Kapetaua lived at Orakei, the dwelling place of Ms s'ster, who was married to a chief named Taramokomoko, or Tarakumikumi. There wa3 a further relationship, as Kapetaua was supposed to be Taramokomoko's nephew. Mr. Rewcti's investigations agreo with Mr. Graham's account of the abandonment of the boy by the uncle and his rescue by his sister, but there is a divergence as to where the lad was taken after his rescue. Mr. Rewetf.'s investigations show that Kapetaua was taken by his sister to another brother, who was a powerful Waikato chief. This chief took care of the lad until the latter grew to manhood, and eventually went back to Orakei with 400 warriors and revenged the insult that had been put upon him by Tarainokomoko. The uncle e=caped and fled to Waiheke not Takapuna, as Mr. Graham says. The warriors led by Kapetaua followed, and ran their quarry to earth at Eangihou pa. where Taramokomoko and many others of his followers were burned alive in a large wha.epuni, to which their enemies set fire. Regarding the ancient history of the ■ Orakei settlement, Jlr. Reweti says the .pa was built by a tribe named the ] Xgati-huarere, about eight generations ago. Mr. Reweti thinks ,it is doubtful ! that the name Oka.hu, the old name of , Orakei, was taken from the son of Tamatekapua. There are many Maori '. names into which the word "kahu" I enters, and a % more probable explana- '. tion is that ,:t is from Kahu-rau-tao, , who was killed by the Xgaitai people! Regarding the name Orakei, which rei placed that of Okahu, there is also , admittedly doubt. There ie a similarity j between it and the name of the chief i of the Tokomaru canoe, and also the , name of a Ngatiawa Maori god, but the . whole question is one of. speculation and there are scores of other native names concerning which there is n 0 > exact knowledge of their meanin - .