Rukuhia te ata o te whakairo
Rukuhia te ata o te wānanga
Rukuhia te ata o te wharekura.
Whano, whano, hari mai te toki,
Haumi e, hui e, tāiki e!1
Te kōrero mō Ruatepupuke
E ai ki nga kōrero o Te Tai Rāwhiti, i takea mai te whakairo i te tipuna nei a Ruatepupuke, te mokopuna a Tangaroa. Nā te pārekareka o tāna mokopuna ki te kaimoana, ka whaoa e Ruatepupuke he matau, ka kīia te ingoa ko Te Whatukura-o-Tangaroa.
Heoi ka pukuriri a Tangaroa ki te whakamahinga o tōna ingoa, ka rapu utu. Nō te whakamātautanga o te tama a Ruatepupuke o Manuruhi i te matau, ka hopu ia i ngā ika nunui, engari kāore i whakahoki i te mātāika ki a Tangaroa. Kātahi ka tōia e Tangaroa a Manuruhi ki raro i te moana, ā, ka makaia hei tekoteko ki tōna whare a Hui-te-ana-nui.
Nō te kitenga e ngaro ana tana tama, ka hīkina ōna tapuwae ka kitea e taki ana ki te wai, ā, ka rukuhia te moana. Nāwai, ā, ka tūpono ki te kāinga o Tangaroa, me te whare a Hui-te-ana-nui. Ehara! E kōrero ana, e waiata ana ngā poupou o te whare ki a rātou anō. Nō te uinga a Ruatepupuke kei hea tana tama, ka whakahoki tētahi ngā poupou arā kē a Manuruhi e tū tekoteko mai ana i te kōtihi o te whare.
Kātahi ka huna a Ruatepupuke i roto i te whare, ā, ka tiaki mō ngā ika kia warea e te moe, ā, ka tahuna te whare. I mua i te muranga o te whare, ka naomia tana tama, me ngā poupou o te mahau (he mū). Nā konei ka puea mai ngā whakairo tuatahi ki te ao mārama.
Nō muri, ka mauria mai e ngā uri o Ruatepupuke te toi whakairo mai i Hawaiki ki Aotearoa. Ka noho ko ēnei whakairo ngā tauira tuatahi mō te whare wānanga nui o Te Rāwheoro i whakatūria ai e Hingaangaroa ki Ūawa. Ko ngā pia rongonui o te kura ko Tūkākī rāua ko Iwirākau, ā, ka horapa i a rāua te kura whakairo ki Te Tai Rāwhiti, ki tua hoki o te paerangi.
Te hono ki Hawaiki
I runga i te kōrero mō Ruatepupuke ka kitea, he taonga tuku iho te whakairo mai i ngā atua ki ngā tīpuna. Ka tūtohu anō i takea mai te whakairo i Hawaiki kātahi ka mauria mai ki Aotearoa. Ā-reo, ā-hangarau nei, he ōrite te Māori me ngā iwi o Rarotonga, o Tahiti, o Nukuhiva me Hawaii, ā, he hononga tata tō ngā whakairo o reira ki ngā whakairo tawhito a te Māori. I whanake ake te whakairo Māori i te taunga haere ki ngā āhuatanga o te whenua hou. Nāwai ka puea ake te toi hei whakaata i ngā āhuatanga ake o Aotearoa.
