8. Preliminary adzing prior to carving: (a) Split Timber. (b) Milled Timber. There are two types of totara timber used in carving. The first is that where milling is impracticable, and to obtain length, width and thickness, the timber is cut into lengths and opened by blasting or by wedges in half. By careful use of wedges, the width and thickness is obtained. This slab of totara is not square, but it has one pleasing feature and that is its greater resistance to opening up or developing cracks during its drying stages, than a squared slab cut by a saw at a mill. The reason for this is in the case of the former, the grain is intact; in the latter, the grain has been disrupted. (a) Split Timber. First, the learner will note that it will not lie squarely on the floor; the corner of one end is up and the same with the vertically opposite corner at the other end—in other words it wobbles lengthwise and across. A good way to obtain quick results is to mark out the maximum space of the wobble at the corners, steady the slab, and draw a line right round the ends and sides of the slab, and then adze down to the marks. This adzing is known also as ara haratua. It is of the greatest importance to know the right side of the slab to carve on, so before drawing a line on the sides, look at the ends and you will locate radiating lines; these are the annual rings. If they work up and outwards then go ahead and draw your line, if downwards then turn your slab before drawing. There is a reason for this. By carving on the outer surface, you further minimise the cracking or opening of the surface of your carving, but when you carve on the inner surface this tends to increase the openings on the carved areas particularly the bulky rounded forehead, shoulders and body, all being in high relief. Let me quote Eramiha. “Kaua e whakairo e taraitia ki runga ki te puku o te totara, e ngari hei runga i te tuara, ka ngawha hoki te puku, engari te tuara, toitu tonu.” “Do not shape your carvings by adzing on the stomach or inside of the annual rings, but do so on the back or outside hei ako ki nga taonga mahi a ringaringa a te Maori, te whakairo, te tukutuku, te kowhaiwhai, mo nga tau tuatahi, a muri iho ko era mahi a te wahine. Na Te Arawa i ki hei Rotorua te kura, kei a ia hoki nga tohunga mohio ki te whakairo hei ako i nga tamariki tane o te motu ina kowhiria. Kua whakaeke o Waikato, a ko au to Ngatiporou a kua rua tau te kura e whakairo ana. I Tihema o tera tau ka tae mai a Apirana ki te kura kia kite i a matau, i a matau whakairo hoki mo te whare o Wiremu Potae o Ngatiporou. Ka korero au mo tana titiro ki a matau whakatu i te whakairo, a ka whakahau ia i au kia hoki ki te Tairawhiti ki te rapu i te matauranga o te whiu i te toki kapukapu, hei whaka-atanga mai i te wehi o te whakairo, ka mohio ra au, ka hoki mai ai ki te ako ano i te whakairo, mo katoa ano hoki tenei korero. Kua tae au ki Ngatiporou, ki ona marae maha hoki, ki te rapu i te taonga nei, kua pataitia e au nga kaumatua o te takiwa mai i te Muriwai tae noa atu ki Raukokore, ko te hua, kua ngaro te mohiotanga i a ratau, engari no Raukokore te korero nana taku tira i mau mai ki konei, ara, “haere ki te Teko kei a Eramiha Kapua te mauri o tenei taonga e pupuri ana. No reira ka korero au ki a Apirana i Poneke i mua atu i taku haerenga mai, ko tana whakahau tenei ki au. “Tikina e koe tenei tangata, e mohio ana au ki a ia, mauria ki Rotorua hei ako i a koutou katoa o te kura whakairo. Ma taua a ia e manaaki e atawhai, ki atu ki a ia, kei te karanga te rangatahi o te iwi Maori ki a ia hei kai-ako hei matua, hei kaiarahi i a ratau ki nga whare whakairo maha o nga marae nunui o te iwi Maori e taria mai nei e nga iwi ma te Kura e whakairo.” “No reira Eramiha ko te tumanako tenei o Apirana, tae atu hoki ki a matau katoa, nga tamariki tane o te motu kei Rotorua e tatari mai ana. Me aroha mai koe ki a matau. Kaore e rere te wehi o te whakairo i te purupuru anake, kua tino kite taku hinengaro me aku kanohi i nga whakairo o te Tairawhiti, poka ke te kororia o nga whakairo na te kapukapu nana i waihanga i