A XMAS TRAGEDY.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 1927, Page 9 (Supplement)

A XMAS TRAGEDY.

MAORI GIRL’S DEATH NEAR HOROERA.

DROWNED BY A rAXIWHA! A few days before Christmas oi j ’876 four young girls, one o' who., was a half-caste, \>c-- ..j -Hie in .< water-hole at Waipana, on the f.u-t Coast. It so happens that this water-hoi? had, in legend, been the abode, l.om time immemorial, of a tan.wfia fa fabulous reptile) named the Taminawhina, which had, it was believed by the credulous Natives of the district, been seen frequently during the time of the Hau Hau trouble. The girls, on arriving at the bathing place, divested themselves or their garments, plunged in and swam to the opposite shore. One of them named Alereann, aged 13 years, seeing a number of rata flowers floating on the edge of the water, forthwith collected a quantity of them and commenced sucking them. The three others then landed aim Raliera, the half-caste, ascended to the branch oi a rata tree overhanging the river, from which point she leapt into the water. On her return to the shore Mereana was still sucking the rata flowers. Again Raliera ascended the tree and again she plunged into the water. On again landing she found that Alereana had left the water and was reclining on a flat rock about three feet aliove the surface of the water. Her legs were stretched out and her eyes were fixed on the water. Raliera called to Alereana to join her in the sport of jumping from the branch of the rata tree, hut Alereana continued to suck the rata flower.-, and answered not a word As llahera got closer in shore she observed that a change had come over the countenance of Alereana, who, almost immediately afterwards, slipped off the rod; into the water. At the same moment the other two, Heni and Peti, who were on shore, screamed out. They afterwards said that they knew the taniwha was there, because of the whirling of the water at the spot where Alereana had disappeared. Raliera attempted to seize hold of her before she sank, hut without avail. She then dived after her into the deep hole and continued her downward course until she was obliged to return to the surface for breath. As she recovered herself, Peti and. Heni, who were on shore called out “Raliera! It was a taniwha—a taniwha!” Rahcra then saw that the surface of the water was broken into waves and she hoard the noise of a commotion. Looking behind her, she saw the water rising up high, like the spouting of a whale. On reaching the shore, she noticed that the water had become discolored with the mud from the bottom. Peti and Heni bad run away in fear and had crossed over at the mouth of the stream, where the water was shallow. Raliera then swam across to the opposite and they all dressed, weeping on account of the loss ot their companion. When they got home their mother, Raniari, sent them to inform the people at Horoera, a place about three miles distant, of what had happened. At this time all the men were away at Horoera. Wikiriwi te Alataura said that if Taininawhina, the taniwha, had ended off Alerenn, it was because she had transgressed by sucking the flowers of his sacred rata tree and that lie would return her body to the shore. A search party of twenty, women as well as men, then set out for the water hole. They saw that the water about the taniwha’s hole was discolored, whilst tlic water all round was clear. In vain did they search and then did‘the bravest of them, Horcniaia te Ari, dive down into the hole. It was said that he descended five' fathoms but did not touch the bottom. In the evening the party returned home, hut, oil the fourth day, they found the body lying face downwards on the. rock from which she had fallen. It was covered with silt, whereas the rock was perfectly clean. Washing away the silt, thev found that the left eye had been picked out and the blood was still trickling from the socket. A week afterwards, Charley, a Spaniard, anil his children saw some seaweed floating in the hole and they fled in fear—it was broad-leaved, thick-stemmed deep seaweed. In the evening some people went to look at it but it had disnppared. ’Twas in vain that the Rev. Afoln Turci tried to dissuade the Natives from the belief that a taniwha had caused the girl’s death, lfe explained to them that her death must have been due to an accident and that, if tho body were found ns described, it must have been drawn from the water and placed on the rock for the purpose of mystifying the Afaoris: