The Battle of the Mountains

Te Ao Hou, May 1957, Page 44

The Battle of the Mountains by Te Hopua Maori School TE PAKANGA O NGA MAUNGA Kei te taha puawanga o Te Awamutu, he maunga e tu ana, a ko Kakepuku te ingoa. Na te tohunga o te Tainui na Rakataura, tenei maunga i whakaingoa. E karangahia ana, i haere mai te maunga nei i te tonga ki te rapu i tana matua. I te taenga ki nga mania i Waipu, ka kite a ia i tetahi maunga wahine ko Kawa te ingoa, katahi ka uru te aroha me te hiahia ki roto i a ia mo Kawa. A few miles to the southwest of Te Awamutu there is a lonely mountain, a landmark in the district, called Kakepuku. He was given his name by Rakataura, the priest of the Tainui canoe. It is said that a long, long time ago this mountain was not where he is now; he came from the south looking for his father. When he reached the Waipu plains, he saw the soft round form of Kawa, the female mountain, standing a little to

E rua ano hoki nga maunga i reira ko Puketarata me Karewa, a na runga i to raua hiahia ki a Kawa, kino ana raua ki a Kkepuku. I to raua kitenga i te hiahia o Kawa mo a Kakepuku ka mea raua ki te patu i a Kakepuku. I te kakaritanga, kaore i roa, hinga ana a Puketarata, engari a Karewa, tino kaha tana whawhai. Haruru ana te whenua wiriwiri ana te rangi i te mahi whiu kohatu wera me te wai wera a nga maunga nei ki a raua ano. (I enei wa e kitea ana nga kohatu nei i era takiwa) Te mutunga iho i riro te wikitoria i a Kakepuku oma atu ana a Karewa ki te taha uru i tena po katoa a no te whitinga ano o te ra i te ata i mutu ai te oma. I te mutunga o te oma tau ana a ia a ko te wahi i tau ai kei waho o Kawhia a ko tonga ingoa pakeha ko Gannet Island. Whiwhi ana a Kakepuku i a Kawa, a ahakoa e haere ana te rerewai a te pakeha i waenganui i a raua, kei te kotahi tonu raua. the south. He loved Kawa, but he had rivals in Puketarata and Karewa. These two resented Kakepuke's coming and they tried to get rid of him, especially when they saw that Kawa favoured him. Puketarata, small and unshapely, was soon defeated, but Karewa fought fiercely. The two rivals hurled molten rocks and streams of liquid at each other; the earth shook and the heavens trembled. Even today the countryside is covered with some of the huge boulders they threw. Finally Kakepuku won and Karewa withdrew. He uprooted himself in the night and retreated to the west, pursued by the flaming rocks hurled by his victorious rival. He ran all night, but was stopped by the first rays of the morning sun. He settled down in the Tasman Sea off Kawhia Harbour and his pakeha name is Gannet Island. So Kakepuku gained Kawa, his heart's desire, and although the pakeha's Main Trunk Railway passes between them they are united as ever.