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.

A Dog Barks in the Night by Mereana. Form II Tawera Maori School KA PAHUPAHU HE KURI I TE PO Ko to matou kainga kei Whakatane, i tua mai o Ruatoki i te putatanga mai o te awa i nga awaawa ki te mania. Nga korero o te pakiwaitara nei mo Taneatua teina o Toroa, te Kapene o Mataatua. I nga wa o mua, tera te tamaiti tuatahi a Taneatua ko Mariko te ingoa me tana kuri. Te Kuri nei he tipua a te ahua he atua hoki ina e maharatia ana e nga tangata o enei wa. Te ingoa o te kuri nei ko Okiwa, a i ana mahi whekiki i tetahi tangata ko Irakahanui te ingoa, patua ana e Irakahanui kia mate, whiu atu ana ki roto i tetahi roto. Kahore te roto nei e kitea ana i enei wa, engari, ka ta ana te kuri nei i tana manawa, ka pupuhi te hau Okiwa i waho o te awaawa o Whakatane, ka hari mai hoki i te kohu mai o Ruatoki ki Opouriao. Kei te po anake pupuhi ai te hau nei, kia kore ai e mate nga hua i te huka, a, mehemea he toa koe ki te noho i reira, ka rongo koe i te kuri nei e pahupahu ana i etahi o nga po. We live in the Whakatane Valley near Ruatoki where the river flows out of the gorges on to the plain. This story concerns Taneatua who was a brother of Toroa, captain of the Mataatua canoe. Long; long ago, Taneatua's eldest child named Mariko owned a demon dog. Evidently this dog was a tipua with supernatural powers, because it is still known to the people of today. This dog, Okiwa, annoyed a certain man called Irakahanui who killed it and threw the body into a pond. Nowadays the pond is invisible but whenever the dog breathes the Okiwa wind blows out of the Whakatane gorge, bringing fog and mist from Ruatoki to Opouriao. The wind blows only during the hours of darkness, to protect the crops from frost on certain nights. If you are brave enough to camp where this happened, you will hear this dog barking on certain nights.

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