DEATH OF A KAIAPOI MAORI.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9812, 23 August 1897, Page 3

DEATH OF A KAIAPOI MAORI.

s Hemiona Te Ata O Tv, known as Simeon ; by Europeans at Kaiapoi, and remembered by many of the residents in the North Cans terbury towns, died at Moeraki a few days ago. He was a Native with a good deal of i originality about him, and could tell a good 1 story. Having stored up much of the legendary history of his race, his tales were s listened to with a good deal of attention. i Himself the son of an old Maori warrior i —Hakopa Te Ata O Tv—he could vividly recount his ancestors' exploits, and could give a good connective account of the engagements between Te j Rauparaha and the Ngaitahus. One of the ■ few fighting men left at the fall of Kaiapoi i pa was Hakppa, and his life was spared by > the invaders out of admiration for his ) courage and energy in the battle. Simeon : told us that about the time of his father's - death they were once in danger of an attack i from a wild bull, while fishing on the beach between Hurunui and Waipara. Hakopa i hid Simeon, then quite a lad, under a heap , of drift wood and was adopting the same - tactics himself when the infuriated animal , chaser, him. Hakopa then conceived the i idea of swimming out to sea and induced the I bull to follow him. Hakopa swam out some ; distance with the animal close on him, and I when it turned he got near enough to it to i attract its attention till he had decoyed it i almost two miles out in the ocean. Hakopa then led it towards some floating kelp and i managed to hamper the animal, tossing some > of the seaweed over its horns, and diving , came up on the other side of the animal, and i swam ashore to his son, who had given his : father up as lost. On Saturday quite a i cavalcade of Maoris reached the St. s Stephen's pah, where a tangi will be held on ) the arrival of the deceased's remains.