Over the Hills for Kai Moana

Te Ao Hou, March 1964, Page 5

Over the Hills for Kai Moana It wasn't always like this, though—why, when I think back to the times we rode many miles over the hills to gather kai moana to supplement our everyday diet. There were paua, kutai, and kaura, big and red, when they were in season. This entailed a whole day's journey, and more often than not we stayed half the night also, netting for fish at the narrows of the bay. We would return home with our pihau bags laden heavy with shellfish and fish. The fish, mostly mullet, were sorted, cleaned, gutted and then smoked. Fat plumpy kutai were shelled and bottled. Sometimes paua was half cooked, and preserved in clean rich fat. At other times it was hung on threaded wire and left to dry in the sun or in some dry place. Like dried shark or mako, this was relished by the old and young alike in those days.