The Legend of Torere

Te Ao Hou, May 1957, Page 43

The Legend of Torere by the girls of Form II. Torere Maori School HE PAKIWAITARA O TERERE I te taenga mai o nga Maori i te tau 1350, tetahi o nga waka ko Tainui, a, ko te rangatira o runga, ko Hoturoa. Ko tana tamahine ko Torere, a ko te hiahia o Hoturoa kia moe tana tamahine i tetahi o nga rangatira, ko Manakiau te ingoa. Engari ko te hiahia o Toreere ko te kai arahi i a Tainui ko Rakataua, ko tana tau aroha. I to raua taenga ki te Hanoa ka kite a Hanakiau i a raua katahi ka whaia e ia. I te kitenga o Torere katahi a ia ka karakia i tetahi karakiamakutu. I te karakiatanga, katahi ka puta mai etahi toka hei arai i waenganui i a raua me Manakiau. In the great migration of 1350 there was a canoe named the “Tainui” which was navigated by the chief Hoturoa. He had a daughter named Torere and he had intended her to marry the young chief Manakiau. But Torere had no intention of marrying him, for when the Tainui was beached at Hawaii, she had fallen in love with Rakataua, a steersman. Coming to the point which is called the Hanoa they were sighted by chief Manakiau and he gave chase after them. Torere then said a magic chant and all at once rocks appeared which made a barricade between them and Manakiau. The chief when reaching the barricade thrust a paddle three times into it and so made a cave.

I te taenga o Manakiau ki te arai katahi a ia ka wero i te arai nei i tana hoe. E toru nga weronga hanga ana he ana. I a Torere raua ko Rakataua e whakata ana, ka mu i a Manakiau, katahi raua ko Rakataua ka maumau mate ana a Manakiau. No te whakaarotanga ka raruraru, hoe ana a Torere i runga i te awa, engari i kitea e Rakataua katahi a ia ka whai i a Torere, kahore a Torere i tu. I peke ke a ia ki rotoki te awa, a i a ia e ngaro atu ana i roto i te wai ka kite a Rakataua engari kahore a ia i aha no te mea i a Torere a ngaro atu ra ka puta mai he kohatu ma. Ka hoki a Rakataua ki tana waka a i te mea kua mate tana tau aroha katahi a ia ka whakahuri i a ia hei nikau i runga i te paretai o te awa kahore hoki i tino tawhiti atu i te kohatu ma nei. Mai o tera ra ki tenei, kei reira tonu taua kohatu ma me taua nikau. Meanwhile Torere and Rakataua were-resting not far away. When Manakiau found them, the young chief and the steersman had a fierce fight and Manakiau was killed. Torere sensing trouble paddled up the river but she had been seen by Rakataua who gave chase after her, but she made no effort to stop. She jumped into the river and as she was disappearing under the water she was seen by Rakataua, but he could do nothing, for in an instant a white rock sprung up in her place. He thought of the misery lying ahead of him if he went back to the canoe so he changed himself into a Nikau palm on the banks of the river not far from the white stone. From that day of long ago to the present there they remain, the white rock and the Nikau palm tree. So ends the Torere Legend of our district.