MANUKA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20668, 13 September 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

MANUKA.

By ENID SAUNDERS, Pilrauir Street, Lower Uutt.

Tonu Taupiri was old, very old, and all of his children wore wedded, all save the youngest, the maiden Ngareina. Long had sho been wooed by Ira tliO warrior, a youth of the tribe, and just when it seemed lio would win her the chieftain, To Anu, came on a visit to Tonu Taupiri. No sooner his eyes had beheld Ngareina than his soul became filled with a passionate desire to possess her. Now, To Anu was handsome and tall, an adept at fishing and skilled in tho use of the spear and mere; moreover, he was chief in his own right and great was tho wealth of his land. Presents ho brought to Tonu Taupiri, plying him with silver-tongued flattery tho while till the old chief promised to give him his daughter. Ira came rushing to the whare-runanga, tho meetinghouse, and poured forth his protest in front of tho people, but Te Anu was ready and mockingly questioned his rival—what possessions had he; what canoes and armed fighting men; what talent for singing and dancing and making of speeches ?—the answer was nought, and yet ho, a poor common tribesman, dared to demand a chief's daughter, for wahine for wife. The crowd began to .take up the challenge and Ira was shamed and was silent. Tho taunts of Te Anu rang loud in his ears till ho could bear I hem no longer and turned on his tormen! or. " True, I own neither fino clothes or riches, but I have cunning in warfare, courage in battle, and diligenco is mine in tho cultivation of the kumara crops. The blood of brave men flows warm in my veins. What right have you thus to call mo a slave? Set me a task that 1 may give proof of my worth." To Ann smiled his malicious slow smile. "Bring Ngareina a star from the cloudland of Rungi. Three days will I givo you and if you aro successful Tonu Taupiri will hark to your claim," and tho father of Ngareina smiled in agreement and rejoiced at tho impossible task which To Anu had set for tho vanquishing of Ira. Having climbed the tallest tree, having scaled the highest hill, and finding they reached not even nearly up to the top of tho sky, Ira despondently sought the tohunga, the priest. At dawn of the third day the tohunga chanted a chant of his magic and Ira was changed to a gold singing bird. Upwards he flew, up into space, (ill becoming suddenly dazed by the height, he brushed against the morning stars and dislodged them so that they fell to tho earth and were caught in a tree on a hillside. His sense of direction was lost and ho plunged blindly down and was caught by tho shining grey waters of a lake. When Ngareina saw what had happened sho ran and sho flung herself into the lake, that her body might rest by the side of the man who had climbed to tho stars —and to death—for the love of her. To Anu was left with tho ashes of his victory bitter in his mouth, and the tree whereon fell the stars was called by tho Maoris, manuka. To-day when soft blow the wind-drifts of summer and fragrant, tho hillsides aro misty with the white fire of star-flowers, tho Maoris say that the spirit of Ira comes back through tho grasses, happily walking with Ngareina, his loved one, among tho pale, lovely trees of the morning stars, the manuka.