ancestress Te Huhuti in swimming Lake Roto-a-Tara, and we celebrate it in song—‘Te Huhuti swam hither’, etc. You see that her descendants do not forget the part played by their ancestress. Te Huhuti was drawn to Te Whatuiapiti because of his personal attraction, but there were two other advantages possessed by him—one we might personify as Tahu and the other as Tu. Hence her reason for undertaking the journey across the lake, as she thought that by marrying Te Whatuiapiti she would share in these two, Tahu (the husband) for the harmony of peaceful days, and Tu (the warrior) for the bold face needed outside the home. Hence she was so keen to acquire Te Whatuiapiti as her husband. This translation, written by the late Mr W. W. Bird, appears in the edition of Sir George Grey's ‘Polynesian Mythology’ edited by Mr Bird and published by Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd in 1956. ‘Te Ao Hou’ is grateful to the publishers for permission to publish the story here. The Maori text given below is from Sir George Grey's ‘Nga Mahi a Nga Tupuna’, published in 1854.

Ko Te Korero Mo Te Huhuti Na, ko tenei wahine, ko Te Huhuti, i pera tahi ano ia me Hinemoa. Ko Hinemoa, nana i kau te roto o Rotorua. Na, ko Te Huhuti, nana i kautahoe te roto o te Roto-a-Tara. No Ngati Kahungunu tenei wahine, a te Huhuti, te tupuna wahine o Te Hapuku; te tikanga i kautahoetia ai e ia te roto o te Roto-a-Tara, he kawenga na te humariretanga o Te Whatuiapiti, no konei i kautahoetia ai e ia taua moana; no reira kihai ia i tawhitawhi kia whakaaroaro ranei, kia aha ranei; kao, ko tona whakaaro i penei na, ‘Ahakoa nui te moana, me aha? Engari me whakamatau—a, mana ka totohu, he aha koa; a, mana e u, e pai ana.’ (Na, titiro ra, e hoa ma, ki te whakaaro o tenei wahine, kihai hoki i tawhitawhi tona whakaaro, no te mea kua whakaarorangi noa ake tona ngakau ki te ataahuatanga o Te Whatuiapiti, te kuku o tona manawa.) Na, ka kau ia, a, ka u ki te kainga o Te Whatuiapiti; e u kau atu ana ano ia, inamata kua kitea ia e te whaea o Te Whatuiapiti. Na, oho whakarere taua ruruhi; katahi ia ka titiro atu ki a Te Huhuti; ano te kiri! me he pari tea ko te turanga mai ki uta o te wai. Ka haere atu ki te kuia ra; te ahunga atu, heoi ra ka titiro atu te ruruhi ra ki te ataahua mai o te wahine raka. Anana! me he haeata e toea ana i te taha a rangi, koia ia ko te rite o tuawahine. A no ka whakatata mai ki te kuia raka, ka whakatauki atu taua ruruhi ra ki a Te Huhuiti, ‘E! e! E tia tonu tou humarire, me nga pari teko nei! Ae, me he haeata e toea ana i te taha a rangi ko tou pai.’ Kihai hoki i hamumu a tuawahine. Katahi ka ui atu te kuia raka ki a ia, ‘E hika, ko hea koe?’ Otira ko tuawahine kihai hoki i hamumu. Me i reira ka ui atu ano te ruruhi ra ki a ia; kihai rawa ia i ki atu ki a ia. I reira te waha o te kuia raka ki te ki atu ki a ia, ‘Taikiri! taikiri! Kaore rawa nei koe e ki mai ki ahau?’ I reira tata katahi ra ano ka hamumu atu te mangai o tuawahine ki te kuia raka, ka mea atu ia, ‘Kei whea koia te kainga o Te Whatuiapiti?’ Ka mea atu te kuia raka, ‘Tenei ra to maua nei kainga, haere mai taua ki reira.’ Ka mau te kuia raka ki tona ringa, ka haere raua, a ka tae ki te whare o Te Whatuiapiti; ka rongo te rangata ra, inamata kua maranga ki runga, kua titiro atu ki te wahine ra, ka mihi atu ia ki te wahine ra: me pehea hoki koa ua ana? Ka koa ra, ka kite atu hoki i te whakahiangongo a tona ngakau: me tuawahine hoki ka koa, ka tae atu ia ki a Te Whatuiapiti — te kaitokomauri o tona puku. Ehara, moe ana raua nei, a, tupu noa o raua nei uri; a, moroki noa nei, mahara tonu ratou ki nga whanonga a to ratou tupuna wahine, a Te Huhuti, i tana kauanga i te moana o te Roto-a-Tara; no reira te kupu o tenei waiata. ‘Na Te Huhuti nau i kau mai, ko Hineteko i te Roto-a-Tara, a, ea ake ana, ko Hinehore, ko koe.’ Titiro, e kore e wareware i ona uri nga ritenga pai a to ratou nei tupuna. Na, ko te tikanga o Te Huhuti i pai ai ki a Te Whatuiapiti, he pai no Te Whatuiapiti; otira ko nga painga o Te Whatuiapiti e rua; ko tetahi painga ona ko Tahu, ko tetahi ko Tu. Koia tera te tikanga i pai ai ia, kia moe ia i a Te Whatuiapiti, no reira te tikanga i kauhoetia ai e ia te roto o Te Roto-a-Tara, i whakaaro ia kia moe ia i a Te Whatuiapitu hei tane pai mana, kia rua ai nga painga ki a ia, ko Tahu, ko Tu, no te mea ko Tahu mo te rangi marire, ko Tu mo te mata whaura, mo nga ritenga o waho, ko te mea ia i tino hokaka ai ia kia haere ia ki a Te Whatuiapiti hei hoa mona.