A HOLIDAY STORY

Te Ao Hou, April 1956, Page 17

A HOLIDAY STORY Ehara tenei i te whaikorero ko o tatou mate, engari i runga i tau kawa i ta te Maori, te taea te whakatahi kau i te parekura ki Tangiwai. Kua ohakitia mai e nga koroua: “Ki te wareware tatou ki te tangi i o tatou mate, na, ka poto atu to tatou Maoritanga ki te pouriuri, ki te potangotango.” Haere te Wai. Kati kia koutou e hine ma. “Ka tirotiro i te Onetapu, Ka raana tonu atu ki … Taitokerau, Na ki Waitangi …” Kua tae ra ahau ki Waitangi rongonui, ki te marae tapu o te motu, ki te wahi i kite ano ai ahau i te Kuini. He kitenga tuarua tenei. I te wa o tona tuaititanga ka tae au ki Ingarangi. I taua wa kaore ano te wahine nei kia whakangaua ki te paepae korero ona tipuna, na, kaore ano hoki ia kia moe tane. Engari i tenei ra, te 28 o Tihema, rima tekau ma toru te tau, na kua paheke, kua karaunatia ia e te Atua, kua whiwhi hoa mona, a, kua puta he uri. Ko tenei ra te tino karauna kei runga i tona pane. Na tona aroha ki tona hoa, katahi ka paiherea to raua aroha ki a raua tamariki putiki pai ana ta raua here. Te taea te utu o tenei aroha ki nga koura me nga taimana, me etahi atu kohatuutu-nui o te karauna i hoatu mona i te ra o tona koroneihana. I wahine to tatou Kuini. No tona tukunga ki raro i tona waka i Waitangi, i riro na nga kuia me nga whaea i powhiri te karanga tuatahi ki a ia. No tona haerenga mai i waenganui i te puni wahine e tangi atu ra ki a ia, nana, katahi ano ka tino kitea atu tona ahua, ano ra, he kotuku. Tau ana ki nga korero mo Te Aohuruhuru o nehera, “Ko tona kiri karengo kau ana, Ko te kanohi ano he rangi raumati paruhi kau ana, Ko tona uma e ka whakaea, ano he hone moana aio i te waru e ukura ana hoki i te toanga o te ra, Ka rite ki te kiri o tua-wahine.” Te wahine ataahua. Nuku atu tona rite i a Hine moa. Nuku atu hoki pea i a Mahinarangi, i a Whakaotirangi, i a Papawharanui. Engari pea a Rongomaipapa. Ko te tukemata tenei o Kahungunu, he tukemata e whakatauakitia nuitia ana mo te putiputi pai kanohi. Until the outer leaves have died and withered.” Alas, my blood, my tears, what a waste of precious lives. “Like the fall of the Maruiwi, As into Te Reinga they sank, Ruapehu's outburst was unchained, And life itself fled from this world.” This is not an oration to our dead, but in accordance with Maori tradition it would be improper to by-pass without acknowledgement the Tangiwai tragedy. Our elders have already said: Should we ever abandon the custom of weeping for our dead, Then our Maoritanga would pass from this world of light, Into darkness and oblivion. Let my patere continue its rhythm. Farewell, e hine ma, haere ra! “Looking about me at Onetapu, I hasten to the northern seas, Yes, to Waitangi ……” I have now come to Waitangi of world renown to New Zealand's sacred marae, to the place where I again saw the Queen. This was a second meeting. In her early youth I went to England. At the time, this young lady of Royal birth was a Princess, and she had not received the traditional kingship training of her illustrious forebears, and indeed, she was yet unmarried. Now, on the 23rd December, 1953, she was sovereign of mature years, crowned by the gracious will of her people and her God, blessed with a husband-friend, and mother of a son and daughter. This is a greater chaplet than the golden one placed upon her head. Her love for her husband has been sealed by the gift of their two children, and a happy family circle has been completed. The crown of gold, studded with diamonds, and other rare stones of priceless value, that was given to her on the day of her Coronation, is not more precious than this bond of family love and kinship. Our Queen is a woman. As she alighted from her car at Waitangi, it was a double-row of Maori women dressed in black, who danced the first powhiri of welcome to her. It was then, as she approached between the rows of women whose voices were raised in the Maori karanga, that we beheld her, fair and graceful, like the white heron of single flight. The pean for Te

I te ururua o te popo a te tangata-whenua o te Taitokerau, tutetute atu i a ratou, ka kimi huarahi ahau kia piri atu ai ki te taha o tuawahine. Me pewhea atu hoki, i te mea, i reira katoa nga rangatira o te Aupouri, o Te Rarawa, o Ngapuhi, o Ngati Whatua. I reira hoki taku tuakana, a Kingi Koroki Mahuta te Rata, te Upokoariki o Tainui. Ko Waka Karaka, ko Henare Toka, ko te tamahine a Awhina Kupa, ko tetahi atu ko tetahi atu, nga kai-takitaki o nga waiata, o nga poi, me nga haka, i rangona ai e Te Kuini te reo o te iwi Maori i taua ra. Ko Kapa raua ko Tureia nga kaumatua. Ma te aha tonu nga whakangahau a te ope rangatahi nei. Ko te haka taparahi ko te: “Tau ka tau.” Kei whati ai, na te kakama tonu o Te Hau o Akarana i tutuki ai ta ratou papaki ta ratou takahi. Na Hone Heke te whaikorero, i whiua atu ai hoki e ia e Te Uira, te patu pounamu a Hongi Hika tupuna, hei takapou paihere i nga whakaaro ki te Kuini, hei tiaki i tona tinana i runga i nga marae o te motu. Na Panapa, te Pihopa o Aotearoa, te karakia whakamoemiti ki a Ihowa i Runga-rawa, a, na te Hokowhitu-Heramana o te manuao “The Piriniha Pango” te maioha-roera ki te Kuini. Mau ana te wehi o tenei wahanga o te powhiri i Waitangi. Ko te Hokowhitu-Heramana i waenganui tonu o te marae, te rite he motu kauri, te nunui, te roroa, te torotika o te taki-tutu haere o te tangata, Maori me te Pakeha. Marumaru ana koutou, manahau ana e tama ma. No te perenga mai o te kupu e te apiha Kaiwhakahaere i a ratou: “Kokiritia … te maioha-roera!” Rite tonu te paketanga o te ringaringa ki te pu, ueue ana te whenua i te taurite o te whana o te waewae ki a Papatuanuku e tiraha ra. Anana, he iwi maia te Heramana. He taiheke tonu atu ki te moana o te Taitokerau te marae i Waitangi, marama ana te tere mai o te manuao o te Kuini i rungaite kare o nga wai o Pewhairangi. Ohorere ana te pakutanga mai o te waiwaipu a nga purepo, e rua tekau ma tahi paku takitahi o tena waiwaipui i te wa tonu i pa ai nga waewae o te Kuini ki te oneone i tukua tuatahi ki raro i te mana o Kuini Wikitoria. Haruru ana te whenua, tiorooro ana te rangi i Aohuruhuru of olden times could well express our feelings: “Her skin was clear and lovely, Her face as bright and calm as a summer day, Her bosom like the face of the rolling tide Aglow in the light of an ocean sunset; Such was the complexion of our heroine.” A beautiful woman. Exceeding Hinemoa's charms, and even Mahinarangi's, including Whakaotirangi and Papawharanui. But perhaps, not Rongomaipapa, for she was of the “broad handsome face of Kahungunu.” Maoriland's poverbial figure for beauty like that of a flower. The gathered Northern tribesmen formed a formidable human barrier, crowds jostled and pushed, and I was called upon to exert the utmost ingenuity to get a closer view of our distinguished visitors. Nor could it be otherwise, because the whole of the aristocracy of Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa, Ngapuhi and Ngati Whatua were present. My elder statesman Koroki Mahuta Te Rata, paramount chieftain of the Tainui tribes was there too. Waka Karaka, Henare Toka, the daughter of Awhina Kupa, and others, were the haka, poi, and action song leaders, through whom was heard by her Gracious Majesty, the voice of Maoridom that day. Among the elder leaders were Kapa and Tureia. This youthful band of performers gave a creditable performance. Their posture war dance was the ‘Tau ka tau,” of universal fame, and at one stage its rhythm faltered, and only the spirited call by Te Hau of Auckland saved the day, and the stamping and the clapping continued to the end. The speech of welcome was delivered by Hone Heke Rankin, a Nga Puhi chieftain, and during his oration he presented, “Te Uira,” a greenstone jade battle club that originally belonged to Hongi Hika, as a symbol of Maori loyalty, and faith and service to her Majesty the Queen, and as a talisman of protection during their travels to the many courtyards of the land. The Bishop of Aotearoa, the Right Reverend Wiremu Panapa, conducted a service of praise and thanksgiving, and the officers and men of the frigate Black Prince, gave the Royal Salute. This was the most inspiring part of the Waitangi ceremony. The men of the Black Prince stood in the centre of the courtyard, like a forest of Kauri trees, nobly, erectly, both Maori and pakeha. What a fine body of men, strong and true! Then came the order from their commanding officer: “Royal salute … Present … Arms!” Then was heard the resounding smack, as their right hands smote the butt of their rifles, and the earth shook as their right feet hit mother earth beneath them. No doubt about the sailor! The Waitangi marae slopes down to the waters of the Bay of Islands, and Her Majesty's Man-o-war, floated gracefully upon the waters of Pewhairangi. It was as Her Majesty set foot on Waitangi, the spot upon which the Maori first ceded

tena waiwaipu, ara ko te auahi e kake ana ki runga ano he ahi-taua. Ko tenei te kororia o Waitangi. Ko te nui o te tangata-whenua e whaka-ahuru ana i te marae o te Tiriti, ko te pohutukawa e pua mai ana i te whitu, ko nga tamariki a Tane ka koroki mai i te ata, ko te pokare o te wai o Pewhairangi, ka potaea katoa tenei Whakaahua ki te haki a te Kuini, ki te “Tanara Roera”, he mea huhuti kia tare ki runga i te paepae runga o te pou haki o Waitangi, i te meneti tonu i huri mai ai te manuhiri tuarangi ki mua o te whare i hairatia ai te Tiriti. He haki wehi tenei. He koura, he whero, he puru, he ma ona kara, ko te kararehe i tanikotia ki runga i tona kanohi, ko te raiona o Ingarangi. Hou ana ki te ngakau te mana me te ihi o te Atua Pakeha. Ina pu nunui, ona waka rino, tona tini o te tangata hei pa tuwatawata mo te iwi. He aha koa, kaore tahi te mana o te Maori i heke iti iho. Ara te Tiriti o Waitangi e tu mai ra, me ona whakairo whakamataku, me ona ngarara, me ona taniwha, ara nga kanohi paua e pukana mai ra, e puha mai ana: “Tihe-e Paiahaha! Ko au ra te Tiriti o Waitangi, Te Tiaata-Nui, Te Matapuna o tatou mana, me o tatou take katoa, I rite tonu ai to tatou tu tahi i te aroaro o te ture, Me nga Pakeha, me nga iwi katoa o Niu Tireni”. Kua mutu tonu nga korero mo tenei ra whakahirahira. Heoi ano te mea hei tuhonohono haere, ko nga mihi me nga poroporoaki ki a Rore Petirou me tona hoa, e nohho mai ra i to raua kainga i Ritini Paka i Ingarangi. He Kawana Tianara ia no nga tau o mua atu o te pakanga whakamutunga nei. Na tona kite roa ka hokona e ia a Waitangi whenua, hei koha mana ki nga iwi e rua o te motu. Na te tauheke nei i taea ai te ra ki Waitangi. Ka taupatupatu i konei te rangi o taku patere: “Nga ia tuku ki Waikato, Ko Kingi … Koroki …” Na, kua tae atu ahau ki Ngaruawahia. Whakarongo ki te tuki-waka a Teiki me ana tangata i runga i o ratou waka e rua: “A Te Kuini A Te Kuini, Tena i hurihia, Tukua iho.” Na, e pou ana i nga hoe ki te wai. their mana to Queen Victoria, that a salvo from the decks of the Black Prince roared an ear splitting salute of twenty-one guns. The atmosphere quivered, the boom of guns reverberated to the skies, and heavy clouds of black smoke rose into the air, like the signals from the morning fires of a fighting party of old. This was the glory of Waitangi. The gaily dressed crowds that filled with laughter the marae precincts the stately pohutukawas afire with the red flame of the flush of their Christmas blooms, the trilling cadence of the dawn chorus from Tane's feathered hosts, and the blue sparkling waters of Pewhairangi—over all this, like a halo fluttered Her Majesty's personal flag—the Royal Standard, which had been hoisted to the very uppermost masthead of the Waitangi flagpole, at the precise moment that the Queen rounded the path to stand in front of the old Treaty House. This is an historic flag. It is dressed with gold and blue, red and white tassels, and upon its face is the upright figure of the English lion. The impression is imbedded deep within the mind, how awesome is the might of the pakeha. Here were his big guns, his ironclad, and the vast reservoir of fighting men to act as a shield and buckler for the people. Yet the status of the Maori was in no way overshadowed, nor in any way subservient. There was the Waitangi Carved Runanga standing there, upon its face were the scroll work of the Maori artist, with its monsters and dragons, the figures with wide marinepearl eyes, and the protruding tongues defiant in their silent challenge: “Tihee! all is well, I am the Treaty of Waitangi, The Great Charter, The Fountain-head of our rights, And the privileges of equality and citizenship, With the pakeha and other races of New Zealand.” My story about this great day is almost ended. One task remains before I close, let us thank Lord and the late Lady Bledisloe of Lydney Park, England. They were our Majesty's representatives here before the war. It was their personal foresight, and their generous nature, that led to the purchase of the Waitangi estate, and its subsequent presentation as a gift to the people of New Zealand, Maori and pakeha. It was this English gentleman who made possible the Waitangi ceremony. My Patere now resumes its flight: “Behold! the waters that flow in the Waikato, And there Koroki stands!” I am now at the courtyard in Ngaruawahia. Listen to the canoe chant by Teiki and his men rising from their two war canoes: “The Queen The Queen Now turn, Now thrust, Now with paddles dipping into the water, Now lift,

“Tena i hikitia, Tukua totoia, Tena i akina, Ki te wai o Waikato, Au, au, aue ha!” Ha, ka umere te tangata. “Enei waka … hei Tere waka … hei, Tai ki tai. hei Hikihikitia … hei, Hapahapainga. hei, Takatakahia … hei!” He powhiri parekareka tenei. Na te Maori katoa nga whakahaere atu i te waharoa o te pa, i iri ai ta Tainui mihi: “Haere mai ki Turangawaewae” tae noa ki te parakiri ki te turanga o Mahinarangi raua ko Turongo, heke atu ki te awa ki nga waka taua me ta ratou maioha whakamoemiti. Tekau ma waru meneti te Kuini ki Turangawaewae. He toru noaiho te tikanga. Na o mana Waikato-taniwha-rau i ngawari atu ai te Kawanatanga. Nou anake te marae i takahia e Te Kuini, ka whakapau na koe ki te whakanui i a ia. Ko te rite o tou marae i taua ra, he kaokao tamahine. Oho mai ana te kupu a Te Wera i ki ra ia, ki tetahi marae ano o te motu: “Me he pai wahine koe Motutawa, penei e whai ake koe i muri i au.” Me pera te pepeha mou e Turangawaewae. Horahia ana e koe ki te putiputi, ki te rau o te tapuae-kahu, ki te porera whakairo te ara ki a Mahinarangi hei takahanga mo nga tapuwae tapu o to manuhiri tuarangi. Nau i huhuti toitu mai i te wao-nui-a-Tane te mahi na te nikau, hei whakamarumaru i te huanui mo Erihapeti. Na enei mea whakapaipai katoa, ka auroa te mawehetanga atu o Te Kuini i tou taha. I konei hoki ka rikarika te Tiuka kia tomo ia ki roto o Mahinarangi. Kua eke ke te haora, ara, te meneti hei tahutitanga atu mo raua, kati, ka kite atu ahau i a ia e ruru ana i tona mahunga, ka tohu ki o whare-whakairo e tu atu ra. Na tetahi o rangatira, na te Rotohiko i mea atu: “Hoake tatou ki te whare.” Maranga ana tou Maoritanga i tena tikanga, tae atu ana ki nga whetu o te rangi. Kua tomokia a Mahinarangi e Te Kuini. Nau, i kona, raua i whangai ki a Ruatepupuke. I kite ai raua i “te piko whakairo, i whakakokia iho, i patupatua iho, ki te whao a Mataiti.” He tangata matau te Tiuka, nana, i titiro, ae, ko enei nga taonga nunui a o tatou koroua. Ka tomo atu raua ka tutataki a-wairua ki a Te Puea, ki nga Kingi o te iwi Maori, ki a Turongo, ki a Mahinarangi, ki nga tangata o nga waka e whitu. Engari korua, i tutataki a-tinana, hariru ana o korua ringaringa, waiho ra kia tutataki tuarua korua, na ka hongi ai, kia tau ai ki te tino kotahitanga i ohakitia mai i te kupu ra: “Ko te ihu to mai o te po.” Kua nui te iwi Maori i a koe. Kua tutuki ki Down and drag, Now strike, The waters of the Waikato, Ha! ha! aue ha! The flotilla shouts, These are the canoes … Ha! They float … they float … ha! The tide, the tide, ha! Lift, lift, lift … ha! Higher, higher, higher … ha! Then down, down, down … ha!” This was a good welcome. It was planned and conducted entirely by the local Maoris, right from the marae entrance with its archway and Tainui's first greeting, “Welcome to the gathering place of Royalty,” and, right into the innermost court before the runanga meeting house Mahinarangi, and the palatial Turongo, the official residence of the Maori King, thence down to the river and the war canoes with their crews of painted warriors. Her Majesty spent eighteen minutes at Turangawaewae. The planned itinerary had allowed her only three. It was the mana of the Waikatos with their hundred demons that had softened governmental inflexibility. Your marae Koroki was the only one that was trodden by Her Majesty, and you spared nothing to honour the occasion. Your courtyard that day possessed the warmth, vitality, and the charm of a young princess. It recalled to my mind Te Wera's farewell to another Marae of the land: “If you were a lovely lady Motutawa, Perchance you would follow me.” That would be a fitting epigram for you Turangawaewae. You Koroki had garlanded the royal pathway into Mahinarangi with flowers, and the moss-like curls of the lycopodium, strewn upon mats of the rarest weave. You had transplanted whole nikau palms from the heart of Tane forest to shade the Royal road. It was because of these beautiful things that Her Majesty chose to linger with you a little while. It was here too, that the Duke of Edinburgh, impressed by you welcome, expressed the wish to enter Mahinarangi. Yet the hour for their departure had expired, indeed, the exact minute when they should be on their way to the next reception had fallen when behold! I saw him shake his head, and raised his hand, as if in salute to the maioha Potatau, the figure crowning Mahinarangi. One of your chieftain's Te Rotohiko rose to the occasion. “Allow me to escort you to our runanga,” he invited. Koroki and his daughter walked with the royal party into Mahinarangi. Maoritanga received another lift by this incident, and its glory was shining like the stars in the heavens. The Queen had entered Mahinarangi It was there Koroki, that you displayed for their benifit the handiwork of Ruatepupuke—the muse of art. They were enabled to see for themselves: “The curving wizardry, brought from above And the hammered art of Mataiti's blade.” The Duke of Edinburgh has a discerning personality,

te korero a to koroua a Tawhiao, Kingi Tuarua o te iwi Maori, ki tana Rongo-Pai: “Kua patua e koe te Ture-Marama, Kua eke tonu tenei wakawaka. Ra hoki, kua tangi te whawhapua, Kua hora te marino, Kua whakapapapounamu te moana. Kua tere te karohirohi.” Na o tamariki, ko Tuteao te tangata wero, ko Amohia he wahine pukana, ko Makereti puhi o Tuhoe, ko te kaumatua ra ko Teiki te kai-hautu a nga waka, ara, na koutou katoa e hine ma e tama ma, i tu na ki mua i te aroaro o te Kuini, i whakaoti te korero: “Pakipaki tu, Koakoa tu.” Ko te poroporoaki i Waitangi he waiwaipu no nga purepo o te manuao o Te Kuini, engari i konei ko te poroporoaki a Waikato he hautu whakarewa hoe waka, i wani ai i kake ai te pakotanga o te hoe ki te niao o nga waka taua o Te Puea. Kua roa ra raua ki roto i o whare maire, na no te whakaputanga mai popo tonu te tangata i to raua tira, pipiri ana. Kua noho hipae nga kotiro poi, ka waiata noho me te poi hei arai i to raua huarahi. Na te maia tonu o Te Hurinui ma i watea ai te ara ki te raua motuka. Tiaho manamanahau ana te kanohi o te Kuini, i te koa, i te hari mo te reka me te tau o nga waiata poi ki a ia. Ko te mahana o te ra, ko te pai tonu o nga whakahaere, tere ana ra i kona te karohirohi. No konei ka kite atu ahau i tetahi Maori nui puhuruhuru, puhutihuti atu hoki nei te ahua, i tara eke tonu atu ki to raua waka, ka pukana ona kanohi ki te Tiuka, me te tohu o te ringa ki te awa o Waikato me te haparangi o te waha: “Titiro, titiro he waka taua, ra, he waka taua!” Ka huri maui nga kanohi o te tokorua ra, a, ka kite atu i nga waka e utauta mai ra, ko te reo o Koroki, ko te mihi-a-wairua a Te Puea: “Ka pai, ka pai, Kapakapa to waka, Te Kuini! Haere ra … haere ra!” E poi taku poi, haere Erihapeti: “I te nuku o te whenua, Hei mana mo Niu Tireni, Potaea …” (Ko te wahanga whaka mutuga kei muri) and he soon discovered that these carved houses were the priceless heritage of our forefathers. As they entered your court, they mingled in spirit with that great lady Princess Te Puea, and with all the royalty of our Maori ancestry, and they were with Turongo, Mahinarangi, and indeed with all the chieftainesses and the captains of the seven canoes. But your portion was even more intimate, for you shook her hand, and who knows, but that when you meet again, you will fulfill the age old custom of receiving visitors contained in the proverb:— “The nasal salutation of time immemorial.” You have justly added lustre to the prestige of the Maori. Your tupuna's prophecy, Tawhiao, the Second Maori King, has been fulfilled:— “You have risen above the law, And your task is almost done, Behold, the voice of acclaim rings clearly, The land is in peace, The seas are greenstone calm, And the warm sunlight filters through.” There were your children, Tuteao the warrior, Amohia the hostess, Makereti a Tuhoe maiden, Teiki the elder and canoe fugleman, and indeed, all of your poi dancers, and the fighting men who stood in the presence of their Queen, and who made possible, “The clapping in dance and song, The dancing with mirth and laughter.” The salute at Waitangi was a salvo of twenty-one guns from the Queen's ironclad, but yours was the rhythmic beat of uplifted paddles which rose with a resounding echo, as they were dashed upon the gunwales of Princess Te Puea's graceful flotilla. They had lingered at length in your carved houses, and on their emergende the waiting tribesmen surged around them closely. Your canoe poi team of maidens sat across the pathway to their vehicles completely blocking their way out. It was only Te Hurinui's quick appeal that cleared the route back to their waiting escort. The Queen's face was radiant with joy, thrilled no doubt by the natural charm of the poi dances in her honour. So with the hot sun, and the perfect conduct of the reception, the scene was indeed a memorable one, and the Waikatos were delirious with excitement. It was at this stage that I saw a burly Maori with hair flying in the excitement of the crush, dash almost on to the royal car, and with eyes blazing looked directly at the Duke, and with hand pointing at the river below, shouted above the cheering crowds:— “Look, look! War canoes, war canoes! The Duke turned round and smiled, and looking over their left shoulders they saw two canoes fully manned with painted warriors racing at top speed down stream to keep abreast of the royal party; their chanting shanty swelled across the surface of the waters, their paddles gleamed in the bright sunshine, and crash they went as two hundred men (Continued on page 53)