Te Pūtake

Tautohua te whakapapa o te whakaminenga o Marutūahu (Ngāti Rongoū, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Maru me Ngāti Pāoa), ā, me whakaatu ā-ataata. Whakamahia tēnei hei timātanga. https://teara.govt.nz/en/marutuahu-tribes

Ngā Tūpuna

1.   Tāngia tētahi whakaahua kiritangata o ngā tāngata tāpua e whai nei. Whakaurua ō rātou whanaunga (kua whakaingoatia) me ētahi tūemi hirahira:  Ko Tamaterā, ko Te Taniwha, ko Ruawehea, ko Takakōpiri, ko Kahureremoa.

2.   Whakaritea he kōrero koiora mō Marutūahu. Tērā, ka tohaina tēnei kōrero koiora hei pakimaero waituhi, hei pāhorangi, hei rangitaki ataata, hei ataata takirua rānei, mā te tāoreore, mā ētahi atu hangarau rānei.  

Te Whenua

1.     Tuhia mai he ata hei whakamārama i te tikanga o ngā ingoa Māori i te rohe o Hauraki. [he hononga ki te mahere nā Te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Waikato]

2.     Whakamahia te mahere whenua o Hauraki kia tautohua, kia tuhia hoki ngā ingoa o ngā wāhi pā Māori taketake.

3.     Whakamātauhia te roanga o te whakawhitinga i waenga i ngā pā hokohoko, ā, i pēhea te hāereere a te Maori me tana kawenga i āna rawa.

Te Ōhanga

1.     Rangahautia, whakaatuhia hoki ngā mōhiohio mō te ōhanga Māori i Hauraki i mua i te ekenga mai o te Pākehā. Whakamahia he kauwhata me ētahi atu rauemi ataata hei whakaatu i ō kitenga.

2.     Rangahautia ngā ōhanga Māori rerekē ki tēnā iwi, ki tēnā iwi i roto i ngā rautau 1820 – 1860, whakaatuhia mā ngā kauwhata whakaahua. Me aro ki te whakawhirinakitanga o ngā kāinga Pākehā i te ōhanga Māori kia whai oranga ai. Tirohia https://teara.govt.nz/en/economic-history/page-2

3.     Mai i ngā rōpū hoahoatia, hangā hoki he tauira o tētahi pā Māori nā runga i ngā mōhiohio ki ngā hapori me te ōhanga Māori i ngā wā o mua i te ekenga mai o te Pākehā.

Te Mahinga Kai

1.     Rangahautia ngā tikanga hī ika rerekē i whakamahia e ngā iwi o Hauraki. Whakaurua ngā taipitopito mō ngā kaupeka, ngā matau, ngā mōunu, ngā momo ika, ngā tikanga whakauka, ngā momo mātaitai i kohikohia, me ngā tukanga tunu. Whakaatuhia mai ō kitenga.

2.     Rangahautia, hangā hoki he kaupapa tono mō tētahi māra kūmara i tō kura.

1

Hauraki te Whenua

Kia mau ki te Ūkaipō

Te Pā Tūturu

Hauraki te Whenua

Kia mau ki te Ūkaipō

Te Pā Tūturu

2

Kua tō haere te rā i te rangi mamao. He pō ūkura inā rawa te atanga o ngā tirohanga mai i te awa. E marino ana te awa i taua pō, otirā he kōataata, ka mutu ka whakamaumahara i ngā kaumātua mō tō rātou waimarie ki te noho i tēnei moka taurikura o Hauraki.

I mōhio te koroua pakeke rā a Mitai ki ngā rerekētanga o ngā kaupeka, ā, kua tata mai te taenga o Hine Takurua ki waenga i a rātou.

I mākohakoha a Hine Raumati ki a rātou otirā i matomato ā rātou māra. Taro ake ka pūrena ngā pātaka, ā, i mōhio a Mitai ka ora tōna iwi i te taunga mai o Hine Takurua.

The sun had begun to set in the distant sky. It was a bright red evening and the views by the awa were spectacular. The awa that evening was still and clear and it reminded the kaumātua just how fortunate they were to live in such a beautiful part of Hauraki.

The old koroua Mitai, knew that the seasons had begun to change and that soon Hine Takurua would arrive and be amongst them.

Hine Raumati had been kind to them, and all of their gardens had flourished. Before long the pātaka would be filled and Mitai knew his people would fare well once Hine Takurua arrived.

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Kua korokoroua haere a Mitai, otirā he nui ngā huringa kua kite ia i ōna rā. I whānau tawhiti atu ia i Ōhinemuri i te wā kāore i tino pā te ringa kaha o te taenga o te Pākehā ki Hauraki. I whānau kē mai ia i tētahi wāhi i matahīapotia e tōna iwi. Ahakoa kua kore rātou e noho i taua wāhi ināianei, ki a rātou, he ahi kā tonu nō tō rātou hapū. I a ia e rangatahi ake ana, hokihoki ai rātou ko tōna whānau kia tika ai te kī, he ahi kā. He mea nui te tuku i tēnei tikanga ki ngā whakatupuranga. Engari i tōna pakeke haeretanga, ka itiiti haere ēnei haerenga. Kua roa tonu te wā mai i tana hokinga ki tōna ūkaipō. Kua roa hoki e tupu ana te reo o te karanga o tōna ūkaipō i roto i a ia.

Mitai was now an old man and he had witnessed lots of change in his time. He was born far away from the Ōhinemuri in a time that had not been well influenced by the arrival of Pākehā to Hauraki. His birthplace was a place that his people treasured. Although they no longer lived in that area. To them it was still an ahi kā of their hapū. When he was much younger, he would often venture back there with his whānau and ensure the ahi kā was kept alive. It was important to pass this tikanga down to the following generations. But as he had grown older, these journeys had become less and less. It had been some time since he made the long journey back to his ūkaipō. For quite some time the call from his ūkaipō was growing stronger within him.

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I a ia e tū ana i te taha o te awa, ka whakaaro noa ia ki tōna ao. Kua kaha te rerekē haere o te whenua. Ko ngā wāhi i haumako i mua, kua pōhara i te kai. Ko ngā wāhi i tū ai ngā wao mōmona i te manu me te kīrehe, kua kore e kitea he mea ora. Kua tere te memehatanga o ngā waiata o ngā manu. Kua kore te nuinga o ngā rākau rangatira i te taha o te awa, otirā kua whakawāteatia te mātotorutanga o te whenua i te taenga mai o tēnei iwi hou.

Ka tū ia ka mātakitaki i ngā tamariki me ngā mokopuna katoa e kaukau ana, e tākaro ana. I te taha o te wharenui i kite ia i ngā kai e whakatakahia ana, ā, ka rere te kakara o ngā kai ki te wāhi e tū ana ia. Ahakoa tiro ki hea, e pārekareka ana tana iwi i te mahanatanga o te rā i te ahiahi.

As he stood by the awa he took in all that was around him. The whenua had changed rapidly. Many of the places that had once flourished, were now void of kai. Where once vast forests filled with birds and wildlife once stood, they were now instead void of any life. The song of the birds had been fast declining. Many of the great trees along the awa were now gone and much of the whenua had been cleared with the arrival of these new settlers.

He stood and watched all the tamariki and mokopuna swimming and playing. Over towards the wharenui he could see kai being prepared and the fragrant smell of the kai gently made its way towards where he was standing. Everywhere he looked, his people were enjoying the warm afternoon sun.

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Kua roa ngā tau mai i te toronga o Mitai ki te awa, engari i mōhio tonu ia ki ia pikonga, ki ia riponga o te awa, ki ia puke, ki ngā wāhi katoa hoki e huihui ai te tuna. Ka mau ia ki ēnei mea iti katoa i te mea nā tērā i noho tonu ai tana hapū hei kaitiaki tūturu o tēnei wāhanga o te rohe. Toro haere ai ngā tore kai huruhuru ki runga i te awa, ka kōrero ia ki a rātou mō ngā wāhi e haere ai rātou, me ngā wāhi hei whakatūpatotanga. I āta whakarite ia kia tiakina, kia maimoatia ō rātou rawa, otirā kia aumārire te noho ki runga i a Papatūānuku.

Ki ngā whakaaro o te koroua, e kotahi ana tōna wairua ki ō te whenua me Papatūānuku. Kua roa rātou e noho pēnei ana mai anō i tāna i mahara ake ai. Engari kua tere te huri o te ao ināianei. I mōhio a Mitai ka tino rerekē te ao ka tupu nei tana mokopuna ki te ao i mōhio a ia. I mua, kāore hoki i tawhiti te haere o te iwi ki te rapu kai, engari ināianei kua tino tawhiti atu te haere i te pā.

It had been many years since Mitai had ventured on the awa. Yet he still knew every bend, every cycle of the awa, each puke, even where the tuna would gather and settle.. All of these small things he held dearly as it ensured his hapū remained true kaitiaki of this part of the rohe. Often as the younger toa would head out on the awa, he would kōrero with them about where they were heading and which places to be careful of. He made sure their resources were well looked after and cared for and that they worked harmoniously with Papatūānuku.

To the old koroua, he was one with the whenua and Papatūānuku. They had lived this way for as long as he could remember. But now life was changing fast. Mitai knew that the world his moko would grow up in would be a very different world from the one that he knew. Once his people wouldn’t need to venture far for kai. But now the distance to get kai was getting further and further from the pā.

6

Ka hoki ōna mahara ki ngā pā tawhito katoa i tūtū haere i te taha o te awa, me ngā hapū maha i noho ki te wāhi nei. Ka mahara ia ki te koiora o te awa i mua me ngā wā hari katoa i tōna whakatupuranga, e karapotihia ana e ngā whanaunga. Kua ngarongaro haere te nuinga o ēnei pā tawhito, otirā kua pākarukaru, i mua o te horo anō ki a Papatūānuku. I mua, e tū ana he pā ki ngā piko katoa, ināianei, kua kōpā te noho o te iwi ki ngā rohe iti, ā, kua murua te nuinga o ngā whenua taketake.

Kua kore e rite te awa ki ō mua rā. Kua kore e rangona te oro o ngā waka me tōna iwi, engari kua pokea e ngā tangi o ngā waka hou me ō rātou mīhini hoihoi. Kua rerekē te āhua o te awa. Kua rehurehu haere ngā tikanga engari he mea nui tonu ki a ia kia tukua haerehia e ia ēnei tikanga ki tana mokopuna. He mea nui hoki ki a ia kia kawea tonutia e tōna hapū āna mahi kaitiaki i te awa.

His thoughts turned to all the old pā that used to be dotted along the awa. The many various hapū that had called this place home. He remembered the vibrant life the awa once held for them and all the joyous times growing up being surrounded by whanaunga. Many of these old pā had slowly disappeared. Often falling into disrepair before finally succumbing to Papatūānuku. Where once there were pā at every bend, now the iwi had been confined to smaller areas and much of their traditional lands had been taken and removed.

No longer was the awa the same. Instead of the sound of waka and his people, they were now inundated with the sound of new vessels powered with noisy engines. There was a different feel to the awa. Many of their tikanga had slowly been eroded, but it was still important to him that he pass these traditions down to his mokopuna. It was important to hold on to the kaitiaki role of the awa.

7

E noho ana a Pōtiki i te mahau o tō rātou wharenui, ā, i kite ia i tōna koroua i tawhiti e anga atu ana ki te pā me te awa. I whānau a Pōtiki i te taha o Ōhinemuri awa, ā, koinei te wāhi i tupu ake ia. I mōhio ia ki ia kokenga, ia riponga, ia kōpikotanga hoki. Nā tōna koroua a ia i whakaako otirā he nui tana whakaute ki a ia. He mea tuku iho ngā tikanga katoa a ōna tūpuna ki a ia, otirā nōna te whiwhi i whai wāhi ia ki aua kōrero.

Mai anō i tōna tamarikitanga, nā tōna koroua ia i kawe ki ngā wāhi katoa i runga i tōna waka tonu. He mea māori noa te hoe ki ngā wāhi katoa i runga i te waka, ā, he nui ngā wheakotanga pai i runga i te awa. He kaiako mīharo tōna koroua, nāna hoki i whakarite kia āta tukua āna mōhiotanga katoa ki tana mokopuna. He hononga pūmau tō rāua ki te awa.

 Engari ināianei kua pakeke, kua ruha tōna koroua. Kua kore e puta ake ki runga i te awa, engari kua noho kē ki te pā, e pau ana ngā rā ki te whakaako i ngā reanga tamariki ki ngā mātauranga o ngā tūpuna.

Pōtiki was sitting on the mahoe of their wharenui and he could see his koro in the distance looking off across the pā and awa. Pōtiki had been born next to the Ōhinemuri and this is where he had spent his entire life. He knew every turn, cycle and bend. His koro had taught him everything he knew; and he respected his koro immensely. All the tikanga of his tūpuna had been passed down to him and he was grateful to have had that kōrero imparted to him.

Right from when he was a young child his koro had always taken him everywhere on his waka with him. It was normal to paddle everywhere on the waka and they had many great experiences of being on the awa. His koro was a great teacher and had ensured he imparted all his knowledge into his moko. They were truly connected as one with the awa.

But now his Koro had grown old and weary. No longer did he venture out on the awa, choosing instead to stay in the pā and spend his days ensuring the younger generations were being taught the knowledge of their tūpuna.

8

Mō Mitai me te hapū, ko Ōhinemuri tonu te mauri o te hapū, he awa koiora i roto i ngā tau maha. Noho ai rātou i te taha o te awa kāore hoki he ao i tua atu. I noho wairua kotahi ki te awa me tōna taiao, ko rātou ngā kaitiaki o Papatūānuku i tō rātou moka o Hauraki rohe. I mōhio katoa ngā tāngata o Hauraki i hea tō rātou pā, me te peka atu i ngā wā i piki rātou i te awa.

Ka whakatau a Pōtiki ki te hīkoi atu ki tōna koroua ki te kite e aha ana ia. He rerekē tētahi mea. Kua roa ngā tau mai i te tatanga o tōna koroua ki te awa, kia pēnei te tata. Kua roa ake hoki te mahara o Pōtiki ki te wā i puta a Koro ki runga i te awa. Kua tupu te ngenge, me te ruha ki tōna koroua. Kua kore e kaha, kua kore e rite ki te tangata i arohatia e Pōtiki i mua.

Kua taikaumātuatia tana koroua, kua pakeke otirā kua tūoi. I te koi tonu te hinengaro o tana koroua, engari ko te tinana kua kore e rangatahi. Kua mahue ngā mahi hī ika ki ngā rangatahi otirā he rawe noa ki tana koroua te noho i waenga i te kiri tangata, te noho ki te ako i ngā tamariki e tere tupu ana.

To Mitai and the hapū, the Ōhinemuri was a life source that had provided for their hapū for many, many years. They had always lived beside the awa and he knew no different way of living. They lived in harmony with the awa and its surroundings and were Kaitiaki of Papatūānuku within their part of the Hauraki rohe. Everyone in Hauraki knew where their pā was and would always call in if they ventured up the awa this far.

Pōtiki decided to walk towards his koro and see what he was up to. Something was different. It had been many years since his koro ventured this close to the awa. It had been even longer since Pōtiki could remember his koro going out on the awa. His Koro had grown tired and weary. No longer was he the fit, strong man that Pōtiki had grown to love.

Now his koro had entered the twilight years and was elderly and becoming quite frail. His koro was still sharp of mind but his body was no longer that of a young man. The days of fishing were now left to the younger ones and his koro was content to stay within the confines of the kiri tangata and sit and teach the younger ones, who were growing fast.

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I karanga ia ki tana koroua engari ka hīkoi tonu ia ki te awa. Kātahi ka tū i te taha tonu o te wāhi paringa tai. Ka whakatata atu a Pōtiki ki tana koroua ka tū noa i tōna taha. Ka tū tahi rāua ka mīharo ki te au o te awa. Taro ake ka kōrero tana koroua. “He nui ngā hua o te awa ki a tātou, Pōtiki. Titiro ki tō tātou hapū. Waimaria tātou i noho, i ora ai tātou i ōna tahataha. Ko Ōhinemuri tō tātou mauri. Titiro ki te ātaahua o te awa”. Ko te Waitangi o Hinemuri e tere rā koe, e tere rā.

Ka āta huri tana koroua ki a ia me te aro anō o Pōtiki, kua rerekē tētahi mea. Ka tū rāua tahi ki Ōhinemuri e titiro ana ki te ripo o te wai e rere ana i te wā e kōrero ana tana koroua. I mōhio a Pōtiki he mātauranga ngā kupu e kōrero ana ia. I hau te rongo o tōna koroua otirā he kaipupuri i ngā kōrero hōhonu o tō rātou iwi. Ka whati mai te tini i tawhiti tonu ki te rapu i ōna whakaaro me te kōrero i ngā kaupapa o te wā. He nui ngā mōhiotanga o tōna koroua, otirā e taea ana e ia te tuku tohutohu ki te tangata. I whānau mai ia i te wā i kite ia i ngā mahi nunui a tōna iwi. Ngā mahi kua rongonui i roto i ngā iwi o Hauraki.

He called to his koro but his koro kept on walking towards the awa. Finally, he stopped on the very edge of the high tide mark. Pōtiki walked towards his koro and stood silently for a while next to him. Both stood in silence admiring the flow of the awa. After some time, his koro finally spoke. “The awa has been good to us Pōtiki. Look at our hapū. We have been fortunate enough to have lived and flourished here beside her. The Ōhinemuri has been the life force for us. Look at how beautiful the awa is”.  Ko te Waitangi ō Hinemuri e tere rā koe e tere rā.

His Koro turned slowly towards him and from the look on his face, Pōtiki knew something was different. They both stood on the Ōhinemuri looking at the ripples passing them by. As his koro spoke, Pōtiki knew that he spoke words of wisdom. His koro was known by all and held much of the rich kōrero pertaining to their iwi. Many would come from far and wide to seek his counsel and discuss  kaupapa relevant to the day. There wasn’t a lot that his koro didn’t know or could offer guidance on. He was born from an era where he had witnessed many of the amazing feats of his people. Feats that now had become legends amongst the iwi of Hauraki.

10

Ka kōrero anō tōna koroua.

“E tama, kua roa au e noho ana i te taha o tēnei awa. Ko Ōhinemuri kei roto i a au, ko au kei roto i a ia. Engari ināianei kua ruha haere taku tinana, ā, kua rere ōku whakaaro ki tawhiti, ki te moenga o ōku tūpuna. Kua tae ki te wā kia hoki au ki taua wāhi kei reira tāokioki ai. Kua pakeke haere koe ināianei. Kua tukua e au aku kōrero katoa ki a koe, nā, kua tae ki te wā kia ārahi koe i tō tātou iwi. E huri ana te ao Pōtiki, kua tata te wā kia kawea e koe ngā mātauranga o ō tūpuna, hei ārahi i tō tātou iwi i runga i te māramatanga. Me māia koe. Me manawanui hoki i te mea e rehurehu ana te ao o uki. Tērā ngā wero hou kei te pae ka whai pānga ki tō tātou āhua noho. E mau nei ki te kōrero tika o tēnei awa. Tukuna ki ō mokopuna. Tēnā, kia kore ngā kōrero e ngaro. He tikanga anō kei te kōrero. Te tohu nui, ki ā mātou tikanga ko mātou hei kaitiaki o tēnei awa.”

 He kupu rerekē ēnei ki ngā taringa o Pōtiki. Kua roa tana koroua e noho ana i roto i te pā. He aha te wāhi e kōrerohia nei e ia? Ehara tēnei i tōna kāinga? He aha ēnei kōrero rerekē āna e rongo nei ōna taringa i tōna koroua?

Again, his koro spoke.

“E Pōtiki, I have lived along this awa for much of my life. The Ōhinemuri has become a part of me that I could not live without. But now my body grows tired, and all my thoughts are of the far-off place where my tūpuna are buried. It is time for me to return to this place and see out the last days of my life. You are all but a young man now. I have imparted all my knowledge into you and now it is your time to lead our people forward. This world is changing Pōtiki. Soon it will be time for you to take the knowledge of your tūpuna and lead our people wisely. You must be brave. You must be courageous as the world of old is fading fast. There are new challenges on the horizon that will affect our very way of life. E mau nei ki te kōrero tika o tēnei awa. Tukuna ki ō mokopuna. Tēnā, kia kore ngā kōrero e ngaro. He tikanga anō kei te kōrero. Te tohu nui, te tikanga a mātou mā he kaitiaki o tēnei awa.”

These were strange words for Pōtiki to hear. His koro had always lived here within the pā. What was this place he spoke of? Was this not his kāinga? What was this strange kōrero that he was now hearing from his koro?

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“Āpōpō ka whakarite tātou i te waka. He roa te hīkoi kei mua i a tātou, Pōtiki,” te kī a tōna koroua.

 “E haere ana tātou ki hea e Koro?” te pātai a Pōtiki.

 “Me hoki tāua ki te pākai o tō tātou hapū, te wāhi e takoto ana te maha o ō tūpuna i te taha o te takutai. Kua tae ki te wā kia whai tāua i te haerenga whakamutunga. Kua kore he mea hei whakaatu māku ki a koe Pōtiki. He tauira pai koe. Kua ākona e koe ngā āhuatanga katoa kua whakaakohia e au, otirā kua tohunga koe ki ō mahi. Kua tangata koe, tangata noa atu i a au.

Ā, kua tō te rā. Apōpō, me whakarite tāua i te waka. Hei te mātātū o te tai, kua tīmata tā tāua hīkoi whakamutunga.”

“Apōpō we will need to stock the waka. We have a long hikoi ahead of us Pōtiki” his Koro said.

“Where are we going koro? “asked Pōtiki.

 “We shall return to the bastion of our hapū where many of your tūpuna now lie buried along the takutai. It is time for us to take our final journey together. I have nothing more to show you Pōtiki. You have been a great student. You have learnt everything I have taught you and become a master at all that you do. You have become more of a man that I could ever be.

The sun was beginning to set and the day was nearly over. When the tide turns we shall begin our final journey.”

12

I taua pō ka hui te katoa ki te ahi. He ao harikoa i waenga i te minenga. I muri mai i ngā kōrerorero ōkawa, ka tū a Koro ki mua i te wharenui.

Mai anō i tā Pōtiki i mahara ai, e tū ana a Koro i te taha o te wharenui. I ōna hāereeretanga ki te nukuroa o te whenua, ka hoki tū mai ia, otirā ka mihi tonu ia ki te wharenui i tōna hokinga mai.

E herea ana ō rāua whakapapa ki te whare. I tino mōhio a Mitai i ngā kōrero o te wharenui, ā, me te āhua o te whakatūtanga ki Te Ūmangawhā o ngā Waka e ōna tūpuna. Nō muri i ngā tau e maha o te tū ki Te Ūmangawhā o ngā Waka kua puta te whakatau ki te neke i te wharenui ki Paeroa, te wāhi noho o te iwi ināianei.

That night everyone gathered around the ahi. There was a joyous atmosphere amongst everyone. After all the formalities had been completed, Koro got up to kōrero in front of the wharenui.

For as long as Pōtiki could remember, his koro had always been beside the wharenui. When he did go on various journeys throughout the whenua, he always returned home and would proudly mihi to the wharenui upon his return.

Their whakapapa was entwined in this whare. Mitai knew too well the kōrero of the wharenui and how it had been built at Te Ūmangawhā o ngā Waka by his tūpuna. How after many years of standing at Te Ūmangawha o ngā waka, the decision had been made to move the wharenui to Paeroa where their people were now living.

13

Rongo ai a Pōtiki i ngā kōrero a tōna koroua mō te wā i noho ia ki Te Ūmangawhā o ngā waka. I rongo i ngā kōrero mō te pānga o te mate urutā ki te iwi, ka puta te whakatau a te rūnanga ki te neke i te wharenui ki Paeroa i te taha o te iwi. Ko tōna koroua tētahi o te whānau i noho tonu ki Te Ūmangawhā o ngā waka kia kā tonu ai ngā ahi. I te wā e hīkina ana te wharenui i te whanga, i tau tētahi aukati ki Tokatarea. Ko te tikanga o te aukati, he tokoiti anake ngā uri o te hapū i hoki rawa ki reira. Nā, i te kōrero tana koroua ki te hoki ki taua wāhi i whānau ai ia, i tupu ai hoki ia.

I te wā e kōrero ana tana koroua, e wahangū ana te iwi. E whakarongo pīkari ana rātou ki āna kupu katoa. Rite tonu te wana o tana whaikōrero. Ahakoa te pakeke, he whītiki o te kī tana koroua, kāore he ritenga. Me te mea nei e rewa ana āna kōrero i te rangi, e mau ana te aro o te minenga katoa. Ka memene a Pōtiki ka wehi i te pai o ngā kōrero a tōna koroua otirā e mataara tonu ana i a ia te minenga. Kua tīmata noa atu ngā tikanga mihimihi, otirā kia tīmata a koro ki te takutaku whakapapa me te āta kōrero mō ia tupuna e whakahuatia ana.

Ehara i te ingoa noa tāna e whakahua ana. He whenu nō te papanga nui rawa o te hononga ki tēnei whenua. I kōrero tana koroua ki te āhua o ā rātou mahi nunui me te pānga ki te mana o tō rātou iwi. I mōhio ia ki ngā kōrero katoa e pā ana ki ēnei rangatira o mua, kāore tētahi mea i mahue.

Pōtiki had often heard the kōrero from his koro about his time spent at Te Ūmangawhā o ngā waka. How after disease had begun to affect most of their iwi, the decision by the rūnanga was made to move the wharenui down towards Paeroa. His koro was one of the few whānau who had remained in Te Ūmangawhā o ngā waka to keep the ahi kā alive. As the wharenui was leaving the bay, an aukati had been placed at Tokatarea, meaning that only a few of his hapū were ever to return there. Now his koro was talking of returning to the place where he was born and raised as a child.

As his koro spoke, there was a silence amongst his people. Everybody was listening intently to every word he said. As always, his whaikōrero was something to behold. Even at his old age, his koro had a way with words that not many could match. His kōrero seemed to float upon the air and captured everyone’s imagination. Pōtiki smiled widely, he was mesmerised by his koro and loved that his koro could still command an audience. The ritual format of mihi was well underway and soon his koro began to recite their whakapapa and gave detailed accounts of each tūpuna he mentioned.

These were not just names he was mentioning. They were part of the larger fabric that connected them to this whenua. His koro spoke of how their deeds had contributed to the mana of their iwi. He knew all the kōrero pertaining to these rangatira of old and he left nothing out.

14

Kātahi ka huri ia ki ngā pae maunga ka mihi ki ia tihi. Ka puta haere āna kōrero mō ngā tihi tūtata, ka puta whakawaho ki te ara wairua ki Te Whare Kai Atua, te rerenga wairua ake o te rohe o Hauraki.

Mai i Taumaharua ki Tokaroa me Ngapuketurua, ka haere tonu āna kōrero i runga i te tautara o ngā maunga ko te rite ki te hau matangi e pupuhi ana. I reira e takoto ana a Pukehangi me Hikurangi, a Ruakōtare me Taumatawahine. He mana nui ēnei tihi tapu ki ōna tūpuna ake. Koinei te ara i rere ai ngā wairua o te hunga mate i te haerenga atu me te hokinga mai ki waenga i ā rātou uri.

Kātahi ka aro āna kōrero ki Tīkapa me tōna rerehua ki ngā iwi o Hauraki. I kōrero mō tōna whakahī ki tōna pātaka me te rerehua o tēnei taonga. Ka rere āna kōrero ki Pukeoraka, puta noa ki Tīkapa Moana. Te āhua o te rere o te awa mai i tō rātou wāhi tū, ki roto i te korokoro o Tīkapa, me te āhua o te hononga o ēnei mea katoa. Kotahi tonu te āhua o te awa me te moana. Kāore e taea te wehewehe, otirā ko te oranga matua ēnei o ngā iwi o Hauraki.

He turned towards the pae maunga and began to mihi to each of the peaks. Slowly his kōrero went from the peaks close by and then began heading out across te ara wairua to Te Whare Kai Atua. The traditional place that Wairua left the Hauraki rohe.

From Taumaharua to Tokaroa and Ngapuketurua. Onwards, he spoke slowly drifting along the mountain tops like a gently breeze blowing. There lay Pukehangi and Hikurangi, Ruakotare and Taumatawahine. The kōrero pertaining to these significant peaks that were important to his own tūpuna. This was the area that the wairua of those passed would return and travel across as they came back to be amongst their descendants.

Then his kōrero turned towards Tīkapa and the beauty that it offered to the Hauraki iwi. Of how proud he was of this pātaka and the beauty that this taonga was. His kōrero flowed out to Pukeoraka and out to Tīkapa Moana. How the awa from where they were flowed to the korokoro of Tīkapa and how all was connected as one. Both the awa and the moana functioned together as one. Both were inseparable and were key to the survival of the iwi of Hauraki.

15

Kātahi ka roroku haere āna kōrero. E taumahatia ana tōna hinengaro e ngā hokinga mahara nei, i a ia e mahara ana ki ngā mahi nunui a ōna whanaunga kua ngaro atu i te ao. Ko ia te whakamutunga o taua reanga tangata, e mōhio ana ia kua tata te wā e hono atu ai ia ki ōna whanaunga i Waihīhī, i Waihāhā.

E rurutu ana ngā roimata o ngā kuia ināianei. E ūhia ana ngā kuia ki ngā korowai, otirā e noho ana i te taha o te ahi, e hotuhotu ana i a ia e kōrero ana. I mōhio noa atu rātou ka tae mai tēnei rā, me te mōhio anō kātahi ka whakaputaina e ia tana poroporoaki whakamutunga ki tana iwi.

E wahangū ana te katoa i te mea i mōhio kua tae te wā e wehe atu ai tō rātou koroua e arohatia ana i a rātou mō ake tonu atu. Ka noho ko te rā āpōpō tana rā whakamutunga i waenga i a rātou.

Ka huri āna kōrero ki tōna whaiāipo, me te koronga ki te awhi anō i a ia. Rongo ai ia i tōna reo e karanga ana. Kua tae ki te wā tika mōna ki te tūhono atu anō ki a ia me te hunga kua wehe kē atu. Kua tae ki te wā e takahi ai ia i taua ara. Āpōpō ka tīmata tana hīkoi ki te ahi kā, ki te ūkaipō, te wāhi i whānau mai ia.

Slowly his kōrero began to wane. The recollection was taking a toll on his mind as he remembered all those past feats of whanaunga who had now long since passed. He was the last of that era and he knew the time was fast arriving, when he too would join his whanaunga at Waihīhī and Waihāhā.

The tears amongst the kuia were now flowing freely. The old kuia wrapped in their korowai who sat close to the ahi were weeping as he spoke. They had known for some time that this day would eventually come. The realisation that he had just delivered his final poroporaki to his people.

Everyone was in silence as they knew the time had arrived when their beloved koro would finally depart from them for good. Tomorrow would be his last day amongst them.

His kōrero turned towards his whaiapō and how he yearned to be in her embrace once again. He could hear her calling him often now. The time was right for him to join those who had departed. It was time to begin the long journey ahead. Apōpō he would start the hikoi back to the ahi kā and the ukaipō from which he was born.

16

I te mutunga o te tangi a tōna matua, ka tū te pāpā o Pōtiki ki te mihi ki tōna matua. I mōhio ia he aha tā tāna pāpā e tono ana, me te mōhio anō ka tīmata tana haerenga whakamutunga. Kōrero ai rāua mō tēnei rā, me tana mōhio ki ngā hiahia o tōna matua. Ka whakanui ia i tōna matua mā te ārahi i tōna hapū i roto i tēnei ao hou. Kua roa tōna matua e tū ana ki te wharenui, kua kite ia i ngā tini huringa ki te rohe mai i taenga o te pākehā. Kua kite ia i ngā riri e haere atu ana, otirā i uru ia ki ētahi o ngā tikanga hahau rongo i whakatū ai i te tatau pounamu puta noa i te whenua. Te whenua tonu i pakangatia e rātou engari i te tere huri. Kua taetae mai ngā kainoho o tāwāhi ki te noho i te whenua, otirā kua uaua ake mō rātou ki te pupuri i ngā tikanga a te hapū.­­­

I mōhio ia kua tae ki te wā e haere ai tōna matua, otirā i whakaae ki te whakanui i a ia mā te whakarite i tōna ara ki Te Ūmangawhā o ngā Waka. Kātahi ia ka mutu. Kua ea.

When his koro had finished his lament. Pōtiki’s father stood to mihi to his father. He knew what his father was asking and that tomorrow the journey would begin. They had often spoken of this day coming and he knew well of his father’s wishes. He honoured his father for taking their hapū forward into this new world. His father had stood by the wharenui for most of his life. He had witnessed many of the changes to the rohe since the arrival of the pākehā. He had seen battles come and go and had been a key part of those hahau rongo practices that had settled peace across the whenua. The very whenua that was now quickly changing. Settlers who were now arriving and living upon the whenua. Making it harder for them to maintain the traditions of the hapū.

He knew it was time for his father to go and he agreed that they would honour him by ensuring that his journey to Te Ūmangawhā o ngā waka would be successful. Finally, he finished. Kua ea.