IN SEARCH OF THE NORTH ISLAND

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 232, 2 October 1935, Page 9

IN SEARCH OF THE NORTH ISLAND

Tamatea Who Encircled the

Land

XXXVII (Copyright

A sail upon tlio son—a spock Tliat scarce the surface seems to fleck , Oi ocean’s limitless expanse; A tiny toy to toss and dance Upon the watery waste, but sound And taut her timbers have been found, And sound and taut her hardy crew. —A South Sea Saga.

These lines can well be applied to the canoes of the historic migration of round about 1350 and in reading them it is not difficult to conjure up the picture " those canoes of the Polynesian Vikings sailing down the ara moana—steered by men of the sea who learned Ihei. •ait -from ancestors descended from those who must have been the first seamen—in search of the land discovered by Kupe. Of the experiences suffered little is recorded but the imagination will present no more than an adequate picturo of all that was endured as these craft ploughed their way across the Pacific under the guidance of those who were confident in the knowledge imparted to them by the famous navigator, Kupe. The student of to-day finds it difficult to seo in the Maori of to-day the prototype of the Polynesian voyagers, nevertheless those daring voyagers of old knew well the water-roads of the Pacific and the many isles that lie far spread across its waters. '‘When the New Zealand traditions are read in conjunction with those of Karotonga, Tahiti, and other isles,” wrote the late Elsdon Pest, 4 ‘it is plain that, prior to the dawn of the 15th century, there was fairly frequent communication between the isles of Polynesia and New Zealand.”

Drawing upon the writings of Elsdcn Pest who devoted yea-s of his long life to- investigating the history of the Maori, we find that the East Coast natives have retained particulars of the Ara-tawhao and TotaTa-karia •canoes to Hawaiiki. The cause of the sailing of the Ara-tawhao canoe ts Hawaiiki (the isles of Polynesia) was the desire of the people of the Whakatano district to obtain the kumara or sweet potato. Now 'this canoe was made out of a log of driftwood which .had been cast up on the river bank at Opihi and received the name appropriate to the event. Tradition records that after the canoo had been hewed out of the log, the people who sailed away to Hawaiiki to bring the sweet potato, were of the original people of Aotea-roa. These original people were a fine race who never made war. It was the people who migrated hither from Hawaiiki who caused the evils of later times. The canoe was built under the direction of Hoaki and Taukata, two brothers, and it was Hoaki who travelled in the canoo as guide. The principal m,au and director of affairs on the canoo was Tama-ki-Hukurangi, who was said to possess powers of magic aud Puhi-ariki suggested that he should not bo taken on the voyage as his presence was sure to bring trouble. Tama overheard the remark and concealed the baler, and then bored a hole in the canoe which he plugged up. The voyage was commenced after Tama assured the passengers that he had the baler and when Aotea-roa faded from ■view, Tama pulled the plug out of the hole in the canoe, with dire results. As the water rushed in the people cried out “We will be swamped.” Tama, however, produced the baler, plugged up the hole, and commenced to recite the baling charm and others to calm the ocean and lay unfavourable winds. He next recited the ruruku charm, to

hind together the vessel, to keep her seaworthy and watertight. This peculiar charm calls upon the lashings and joints to close up and remain tight. Then, followed the karakia having to do with the keeping of the vessel on her path to Hawaiiki and according to tradition the good work of Tama-ki-Hukurangi enabled the canoe, built out of a drift log, to safely reach Hawaiiki. The voyagers were welcomed by Eongoatau, the chief of Hawaiiki, who lived at Te Whakao, and there followed rejoicings at the receipt oi news of the children of Toi, for the voyagers were none other than descendants, of this Polynesian navigator who followed Kupe to these shores.

The canoe which Hoaki had successfully brought to the Polynesian isles from Aotca-roa was left behind and the return journey made in the Matatua, which canoe is said to have been responsible for bringing the sweet potato to New Zealand. This legend next commences to speak of the Takitumu canoe as accompanying the Matatun canoe but this cannot be so as the sel in which Tamatea-pokai-whenua (Tamatea who encircled the land) travelled came earlier than the Matatua canoe. It will be recalled that the Takitumu was one of live canoes wuich

departed for Aotea-roa and only two

are spoken of as having safely navigated the Pacific—the Takutumu which brought Tamatea, and the Horouta.

This was a prior migration to that in which the Matatua, Araw r a and Aotea too part and although a good deal of confusion appears to exist among those from whom the legends •were gathered as to the Horouta canoe, it would appear that this vessel was of the-migration of Tamatea. In many instances the Takitumu and Horouta Canoes are spoken of as one and the same vessel and in one east coast leg-

end it is stated that the Ara-tawhac canoe became the Horouta canoe but ‘"'from the tangled skein of historical tradition there emerges the conviction .that the Horouta canoe was a vessel of the migration of Tamatoa and some of the people who came in her crossed th«

island aiid settled about Whauganui. . According to the works of Rev. Richard Taylor Tamatea was the ancestor of all the tribes ,of New Zealand and although this is incorrect, Tamatea did more than any other great chief towards the settling of Aotea-roa. On his arrival he travelled along, the coast, visiting bays here anad there, and leaving behind him-some of the people who had accompanied him, _ He

was a great traveller and it was due to this that lie received the name of 'famatea Pokai Wlienua, Tamatea who encircled the land, the great traveller. His children, according to Whanganui tradition, were Mahine raugi, It auk aw;-, Wakarere; Turangi was the husband of Mahine rangi. Tamatea had two wives, Iwiruu the mother of Kahungunu Matangirau; the second wife was Mahaldroa. Her sons were Koau, Tamaekiroa, Kahunui and Apa, the father of tho Ngati Apa tribe. In these names we find the names of well known tribes who trace their descent from Tamatea Pokai Whenua. Barlier in our story mention was made of Tamatea’-s journey up the Whanganui river to Taupo and ot the legend concerning his untimely end when ho was lost over a fall. In this connection some writers have wondered how Tamatea escaped the well known Huka falls for it -seems quite impossible for a canoe to survive a trip down, this thundering waterway. The answer appears to exist in the fact that tho Huka falls arose over a comparatively recent geographical fault. They were not known in the early nineteenth centry for no mention is made of their existence by those early explorers who passed along the shores of Taupo and had ample opportunity for ascertaining the existence of such falls. The roar of the waters would have directed attention to their presence had they existed and it is therefore certain that the Huka falls became a physical feature of the Taupo country long after tho advent of Tamatea, who passed on to end his days in the Waikato.

(To be continued.)