He Hui na Ani Hona I tetahi ra, i te wa i a au e tamariki ana, i haere au ki tetahi hui nui. Ko tenei hui he hui hura kohatu mo tetahi kuia. Hore kau ahau i mohio ki tenei kuia, engari i haere ahau kia kite ai au ki tenei mea ki te hura kohatu. I to matou taenga atu ra runga pahi, kua tata pouri ke te ra. E ka mai ana nga raiti o te whare hui. I to matou tatunga atu, ka whakarongorongo au. Ai, i te pai hoki! Hoi ano ko nga manu e korerorero ana i roto i nga rakau, e rua nga kuri e tautau mai ana, hore kau atu he aha hei whakaturituri i te kainga nei. E tu ana ahau i te taha o te pahi e whakarongo ana ki taku iwi e korero ana, katahi te haona o te pahi ka tangi. Peke pai ahau i te oho o taku tinana. Rere atu ahau ki te pupuri i te ringa o taku karani, ka puta mai te karanga, ‘Haere mai, haere mai, haere mai!’ Ka ki atu ahau ki taku karani, ‘Haere mai, e Ma, kia horo!’ ‘Taihoa, Tatari mai i te iwi.’ Ka haere atu matou, na, i to matou tatanga atu ki te whare hui, ka rongo ahau i te kakara o nga kai, ka matekai au. Titiro ake ahau ki taku karani, ki aku hoa, e tangi katoa ana. Kahi au ka oma, kitea atu e ahau te whare kai, na, i taku hounga atu, e nohonoho mai ana nga kaimahi kai. Ka ki mai tetahi tangata ki a au, ‘Ki ora, e hoa. Haere mai ki te taha o te ahi whakainaina ai.’ Ka noho atu au ki tana taha, na, e torotoro kanga ana ratou. Ka tino hiakai au. Ka mohio mai tetahi wahine ki taku mate, ka mauria mai e ia he paraoa takakau me te pata maku. Pau atu i a au te kai enei kai, na, i te mahana o te ahi, kahi au ka parangia. Ara rawa ake au, kua awatea ke, na, kei roto ke au i te whare hui e moe ana. I te haerenga o te iwi ki te wahi tapu ki te hui i reira, kahi au ka haere ki nga wahi mahi hangi ki te rapu i aku hoa o napo ra. Ka noho matou i te taha o nga hangi waru kumara ai, korero ai. I te mutunga o te tina, ka whakarerireri matou ki te hoki ki to matou kainga. I taku kaumatuatanga, ka tae mai te wa i hoki atu ai ahau ki tenei marae. E kore au e wareware ki taua wa i a au e tamariki ana. One day when I was a child I went to a large hui. It was for an unveiling for an old lady. I didn't know who she was but I went anyhow to see it. When we got there on our bus it was dusk and the meeting house lights were on. We got off the bus and I stood there listening. It was so nice and quiet. I could hear only the birds rustling in the trees and two dogs barking. I stood beside the bus listening to everyone talking, when the bus tooted its horn. I jumped with shock and ran to hold my granny's hand. Just then the call rang out. ‘Welcome, welcome, welcome.’ I said to my granny, ‘Come on gran. Hurry.’ She replied, ‘Wait. Wait for the rest of the people.’ We all approached and as we came closer to the meeting house, I smelt food and I realised I was hungry. I looked up at gran, to the people around me and I saw they were all crying. So I ran and found the kitchen and when I entered I saw all the cooks sitting around the fire. One of the men said to me. ‘Hello friend. Come and sit down and warm yourself by the fire.’ I sat down beside him. I was terribly hungry and one of the women realised this and brought me some buttered pancakes. I ate all this and as I was warm and tired I fell asleep. When I finally woke up it was morning and I was sleeping in the meeting house. When all the people went to the cemetery I went instead to the place where they cooked the hangi, to find my friends. We sat around the hangi peeling kumaras and talking. After dinner we all went home again on our bus. When I was older I had occasion to go back to the same marae, yet I never forgot my first visit there.