Kōrero: Ngā waka tere moana

Whārangi 6. Ngā waka o Te Tai Rāwhiti

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Nuku-tai-memeha, Nukutere me Paikea

E ai ki a Ngāti Porou, ko te waka a Māui, ko Nukutaimemeha tō rātou waka taketake. E ai ki ngā tikanga, e noho huripapa ana a ia ki runga o Hikurangi.

Ko Whironui te tipuna tuatahi kia tae mai mā runga i tōna waka a Nukutere. Ko Whiro (ki Hawai’i, ko Hilo, ki Tahiti ko Hiro, ki Rarotonga ko Iro) te kaihōpara rongonui rawa o te pito rāwhiti o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. Ko Araiara tana wahine. Ka moe tā rāua tamāhine a Huturangi i a Paikea. Ka tae mai a Paikea mā runga i te tohorā. I te wā e heru ana a Uenuku i ngā makawe o ana tama i te whakarewanga o tō rātou waka hōu, ka nanao ia ki te heru tapu hei heru i ngā makawe o Kahutiaterangi (Paikea). Kia tae mai ki tērā o ana tama a Ruatapu, ka mea atu a Uenuku mā Ruatapu tonu e kimi heru hei heru i ōna makawe, i te mea he tama meamea noa iho a ia. Ka mate a Ruatapu i te whakatakariri, ka werohia e ia he puare ki tō rātou waka ka whakapurua. Nō te putanga atu o tō ratou waka me ana teina ki waho ki te moana, ka tangohia e ia te puru, ka kī te waka i te wai, ka taupoki. Ko Paikea (Kahutiaterangi) anake te mōrehu.

Ka taki a Paikea i ana karakia ki ngā kaitiaki o te moana kia manaakitia ia. Ka tae mai he tohorā, ka kawea ia ki te moutere o Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island). Atu i konei ka rere ia ki Whakatāne, tau rawa atu ki Whāngārā, ki roto o Te Tai Rāwhiti. Ka moe a Paikea i a Huturangi, te tamāhine a Whironui kia puta ngā tīpuna taketake o Ngāti Porou. E kī ana te kōrero, kua hurihia te tohorā nāna a Paikea i kawe mai ki Aotearoa hei toka kei waho i te one o Whāngārā.

Horouta

Ko Toi te tangata tūhura whenua o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa; ko ia te rangatira o tēnei waka. I tētahi rā ka tae mai he manuhiri nō Hawaiki, ko Kahukura tōna ingoa. He kao kūmara tāna. Kāore anō te tangata whenua kia kai i tēnei kai te kūmara. Nō konei ka tono a Toi kia hoki a Kahukura ki Hawaiki mā runga i a Horouta ki te tiki i te kūmara. Ka riro mai ngā kūmara, ka tonoa e Kahukura a Pāoa (Pawa rānei) hei rangatira mō te waka i tōna hokinga ki Aotearoa.

Ka ū te waka ki Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island), ka heke a Kanawa ki te tiki aruhe mā te iwi. Ka ranua e ia te aruhe ki te kūmara. He hapanga nui tēnei, i te mea he kai rangatira te kūmara, kāore e pai kia kīnakitia ki tētahi atu kai. Waihoki ka porowhiua a Kanawa ki te moana ki waho o Whakatāne. I konei ka tuki a Horouta i te tāhuna, ka whati te haumi. Ka tōia te waka ki uta. Ka whakatika a Pāoa me tōna iwi ki te kimi i tētahi rākau tika hei tapitapi i te waka. Ko Awapaka mā ka haere ki te hopu manu hei kai mā te hunga e whakatikatika ana i te waka. I noho a Rangitūroua mā ki te waka.

Ka kitea e Pāoa he rākau tōtika i tētahi maunga, ka tapaina ko Maunga Haumi. Nā te pāpaku o ngā kōawa hei whakatere i ngā rākau ki te moana, ka mimi a Paoa kia rere ngā awa o Waioeka, o Waikohu, o Waipāoa, o Mōtū. Ka whakatikangia te waka, ka huri āmio i te Whanga-o-Kena (East Cape) kia tae ki Tūranganui. Ka hīkoi a Awapaka rāua ko Pāoa mā raro ki Tūranganui. Ko tētahi atu o runga i te waka, a Hinekauirangi i hīkoi mā Ōhiwa ki te kōawa o Tapuwaeroa, ki Tūranganui i te tonga. Ko ngā uri o tēnei waka ko Ngāti Ruapani, ko Rongowhakaata, ko Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, ko Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti.

Tākitimu

He maha ngā takiwā e mōhiotia nei te waka a Tākitimu. E kī ana ngā kōrero o ngā iwi o te taha raki o Te Tai Rāwhiti, ko ngā taupatupatu i waenganui i ngā iwi o Uenuku, o Ruawharo me Tūpai, te take i wehe ai a Tākitimu i Hawaiki. E kī ana te kōrero ka kahakina a Tākitimu e Ruawharo rāua ko tana teina a Tūpai i te hoariri, ka rere ki Aotearoa. Ko Ruawharo te kaihautū me te tohunga o te waka. Ka tau te waka ki Whanga-o-Kena (East Cape) i Te Tai Rāwhiti. Nō muri mai ka whanake te waka ki Nukutaurua; ka makere iho ngā tāngata i reira. Ka noho a Ruawharo ki Te Māhia, ka haere a Puhiariki ki Muriwhenua, ko ētahi ka haere ki Tauranga.

Ki tā ngā iwi o Te Tai Rāwhiti ki te tonga, nā ngā tautohetohe mō ngā māra kai, a ‘Tawarunga’ rāua ko ‘Tawararo’ ka wehe a Tākitimu i Hawaiki. Ko Whāngārā te wāhi i tāraitia ai te waka. Ko Tamatea Arikinui tōna kaihautū. Ka ū te waka ki Tauranga ka makere a Tamatea. Nā ētahi atu te waka i whakatere ki Te Tai Rāwhiti; ka whakarerea he tāngata ki te awa o Waiapu, ki Ūawa, ki Tūranganui, ki Nukutaurua (Te Māhia), ki Te Wairoa, ki te awa o Mōhaka, ki Pōrangahau hoki. Nō muri ka hīkoi a Tamatea ki Te Māhia, ki Tūranganui ki te taunaha i te whenua.

E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a ngā iwi o Te Tai Tokerau me Tauranga, kotahi anake te tipuna nei a Tamatea; kei ngā kōrero tuku iho a Ngāti Kahungunu e mea ana he mokopuna tā Tamatea Ariki Nui, ko Tamatea–pōkai-whenua, pōkai-moana. I a ia ka noho ki Kaitāia, ka whānau mai te tama a Tamatea-pōkai-moana, ko Kahungunu. Ko ia te tipuna taketake o Ngāti Kahungunu.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Rāwiri Taonui, 'Ngā waka tere moana - Ngā waka o Te Tai Rāwhiti', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/nga-waka-tere-moana/page-6 (accessed 19 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Rāwiri Taonui, i tāngia i te 8 Feb 2005