Whale of a tale

Press, 19 June 1979, Page 16

Whale of a tale

The kauri is the largest tree in the New Zealand native forests, and the whale is the largest creature in the ocean. There is a Maori legend which tells the story of the friendship that existed between these two giants of the world of nature.

The whale, Tohora, was worried about his friend Kauri when he saw others of that species being cut down with sharp greenstone axes to make war canoes. He swam close to the land where his proud friend stood, and called up to him, asking that he leave the forest to make his home in the sea where he would be safe.

Kauri would not go. He told Tohora that if his

strong roots left the earth he would toss helplessly in the stormy seas, his leaves would wither and die, and he would sink to the bottom of the ocean, never again to feel the warm sunshine, the gentle breezes or the refreshing rains — just as Tohora would be helpless and unhappy if he left the ocean to live on the land. They would both be destroyed. Tohora knew that this was true, but he was still worried. He asked Kauri to exchange skins with him. His friend agreed, and this, so the legend tells us, is why the kauri tree has a smooth grey trunk while the whale has a rough bark-like outer covering.