You have four tasks to choose from in this section, you only need to choose 2 but you can choose more if you get through all the tasks set in the next 4 weeks.
All the information you need to help you complete the tasks is here on the blog and in the Te Moana Go to Zone.
All tasks are to be done in your Everyday Book and must be signed off by a Learning Coach before you move to another task.
All the information you need to help you complete the tasks is here on the blog and in the Te Moana Go to Zone.
All tasks are to be done in your Everyday Book and must be signed off by a Learning Coach before you move to another task.
Thinkers Keys:
In this task there are 4 sets of questions that you need to answer after reading the legend of Taurikura. You may complete each key in any order and show your thinking in any way you wish - drawing, note taking etc Collect the Thinkers Keys header from the grey tray and glue it into your Everyday Book before completing the activity. |
Illustrate a myth:
Chose your favourite part of one of the myths to illustrate. You need to glue the header into your Everyday Book and then draft your image on the same page, around the image you need to include key words and parts of the text that you really like. When you have drafted your image and had it checked by a learning coach you can publish it onto an A5 piece of paper for display. |
Local Legends:
The legend of Taurikura:
Long ago there was a village called Kahakaharoa in the Omanawa district. The village was on the cliff tops at the edge of a gorge with a river flowing far below.
Taurikura was a puhi, a chief's daughter, a woman of high rank who lived in Kahakaharoa. Because she was a chief's daughter Taurikura had always been given everything she wanted. Some said she was a spoiled brat. When she grew up she expected everything to be done for her.
One day her grandfather, who was a very old man, asked her to get him some water from the river. The old man's legs were weak, and it was difficult for him to make the trip down the steep track to the river in the gorge below. Taurikura told the old man she was tired too. She did not want to go and get the water. The old man was thirsty. There was no one else around. His grand-daughter would not go. There was nothing else for it, he would have to go himself. He picked up an empty gourd which was used to carry water. Slowly and carefully he made his way down the steep track to the river. He drank some water and filled the gourd to carry water back up to the pa. Slowly and carefully he climbed back up the steep track cut into the cliff face.
When the old man got back to the pa with his gourd full of water, Taurikura demanded some for herself. She was thirsty too. This was too much for the old man. It was very painful for his stiff old bones to climb that steep track. She was young and healthy. He began to tell her off. He told her she was lazy, and who did she think she was to expect everyone to run around after her. He went on and on and made a great speech, fired up by his anger and impatience at this cheeky young woman, his grand-daughter. The old man raged on as only an old man can when he is really worked up. Finally his anger subsided, and he retreated into his whare.
Taurikura felt whakamā, very embarrassed and ashamed. She knew she had behaved badly. She did not know how she could face the old man again. She did not know how she could face all her other relatives in Kahakaharoa, because very soon everyone would know how badly she had behaved. She felt so ashamed of herself, she decided the only thing she could do was leave the village.
That night Taurikura crept out of her whare. Carefully she crept down the steep track to the river. Here she changed herself into a ngarara, a sort of lizard, and plunged into the water. She swam downstream toward Tauranga Moana. As she swam the river carved out a new course for itself, along the route now known as Kopurererua. She swam with this stream out into the estuary of Waikareao, past Matarawa, the old name for Judea Pa, past Motuopae, out into Tauranga Moana. She swam on past Mauao and out into the open ocean. Finally, exhausted, she landed on the rocky island of Karewa, out in the sea beyond Matakana.
Taurikura stayed on Karewa. She kept the form of the lizard so no one would recognise her. She was the ancestor of tuatara, the special kind of lizard that are found only on Karewa now, where they share the nests of the mutton birds. Taurikura is also remembered specially at Judea. She can be seen in one of the carved poupou in the meeting house Tamateapokaiwhenua. There is a carved portrait of Taurikura, the cheeky girl who is the ancestress of the tuatara of Karewa.
Taurikura was a puhi, a chief's daughter, a woman of high rank who lived in Kahakaharoa. Because she was a chief's daughter Taurikura had always been given everything she wanted. Some said she was a spoiled brat. When she grew up she expected everything to be done for her.
One day her grandfather, who was a very old man, asked her to get him some water from the river. The old man's legs were weak, and it was difficult for him to make the trip down the steep track to the river in the gorge below. Taurikura told the old man she was tired too. She did not want to go and get the water. The old man was thirsty. There was no one else around. His grand-daughter would not go. There was nothing else for it, he would have to go himself. He picked up an empty gourd which was used to carry water. Slowly and carefully he made his way down the steep track to the river. He drank some water and filled the gourd to carry water back up to the pa. Slowly and carefully he climbed back up the steep track cut into the cliff face.
When the old man got back to the pa with his gourd full of water, Taurikura demanded some for herself. She was thirsty too. This was too much for the old man. It was very painful for his stiff old bones to climb that steep track. She was young and healthy. He began to tell her off. He told her she was lazy, and who did she think she was to expect everyone to run around after her. He went on and on and made a great speech, fired up by his anger and impatience at this cheeky young woman, his grand-daughter. The old man raged on as only an old man can when he is really worked up. Finally his anger subsided, and he retreated into his whare.
Taurikura felt whakamā, very embarrassed and ashamed. She knew she had behaved badly. She did not know how she could face the old man again. She did not know how she could face all her other relatives in Kahakaharoa, because very soon everyone would know how badly she had behaved. She felt so ashamed of herself, she decided the only thing she could do was leave the village.
That night Taurikura crept out of her whare. Carefully she crept down the steep track to the river. Here she changed herself into a ngarara, a sort of lizard, and plunged into the water. She swam downstream toward Tauranga Moana. As she swam the river carved out a new course for itself, along the route now known as Kopurererua. She swam with this stream out into the estuary of Waikareao, past Matarawa, the old name for Judea Pa, past Motuopae, out into Tauranga Moana. She swam on past Mauao and out into the open ocean. Finally, exhausted, she landed on the rocky island of Karewa, out in the sea beyond Matakana.
Taurikura stayed on Karewa. She kept the form of the lizard so no one would recognise her. She was the ancestor of tuatara, the special kind of lizard that are found only on Karewa now, where they share the nests of the mutton birds. Taurikura is also remembered specially at Judea. She can be seen in one of the carved poupou in the meeting house Tamateapokaiwhenua. There is a carved portrait of Taurikura, the cheeky girl who is the ancestress of the tuatara of Karewa.
The legend of Mauao:
There was once a hill with no name among the many hills and ravines on the edge of the forests of Hautere.
This nameless one was pononga, slave or servant, to the great chief Otānewainuku, the forested peak which stands as a landmark for the tribes of Tauranga Moana. To the south-west was the shapely form of the hill Puwhenua, a woman clothed in all the fine greens of the ferns and shrubs and trees of the forest of Tane. The nameless one was desperately in love with Puwhenua. Her heart was already won by the majestic form of the chiefly mountain Otānewainuku. There seemed no hope for the lowly slave with no name to persuade her to become his bride.
The nameless one sorrowed. In despair he decided to end it all by drowning himself in the ocean, Te Moananui a Kiwa. He called on the patupaiarehe, the people with magical powers who dwelled in the forests of Hautere. They were his friends and they plaited the ropes with their magic to haul him from the hill country toward the ocean. As they pulled on their ropes, they chanted their magic chant.
E hika tū ake
Ki runga rā whitiki taua
Hei tama tū
Kumea ki te uru
Kumea ki te tonga
Hiki nuku
Hiki rangi
I arā rā
Ka ngarue, ka ngarue
Toia ki te hau marangai
Kia whakarongo taku kiri
Te kikini a te rehutai
0 ngā ngaru whatiwhati
E haruru mai nei
Wī wī wī
Wā wā wā
A! hā! hā!
Horahia ō mata ki a Meremere Tūahiahi
Hei taki i te ara ki a Tangaroa
He atua hāo i te tini ki te pō
E kokoia e ara e Arise you who slumber
Prepare ourselves
Prove our manhood
Heave to the west
Heave to the south
Move heaven and earth
It awakens,
It loosens, shudders.
Haul toward the stormy east wind
That the skin may feel
The tang of salt spray
Of the turbulent thundering waves
Wī wī wī
Wā wā wā
A! hā! hā!
Cast your eyes heavenward
Toward Venus, the evening star,
To light the path
To the ocean of Tangaroa,
The god who lures many into his embrace,
Into eternal darkness.
Alas, the birds have awakened
Dawn has come.
The patupaiarehe chanted this song and hauled the nameless one from his place among the hills from Waoku. They gouged out the valley where the river Waimapu now flows. They followed the channel of Tauranga Moana past Hairini, past Maungatapu and Matapihi, past Te Papa. They pulled him to the edge of the great ocean of Kiwa. But it was already close to daybreak. The sun rose. The first rays lit up the summit of the nameless hill and fixed him in that place. The patupaiarehe melted away before the light of the sun. They were people of the night and they flew back to the shady depths of the forests and ravines of Hautere.
The patupaiarehe gave a name to this mountain which marks the entrance to Tauranga Moana. He was called Mauao which means caught by the dawn, or lit up by the first rays of sunrise. In time, he assumed greater mana than his rival Otānewainuku. Later he was also given another name, Maunganui, by which he is now more often known. He is still the symbol of the tribes of Tauranga Moana.
This nameless one was pononga, slave or servant, to the great chief Otānewainuku, the forested peak which stands as a landmark for the tribes of Tauranga Moana. To the south-west was the shapely form of the hill Puwhenua, a woman clothed in all the fine greens of the ferns and shrubs and trees of the forest of Tane. The nameless one was desperately in love with Puwhenua. Her heart was already won by the majestic form of the chiefly mountain Otānewainuku. There seemed no hope for the lowly slave with no name to persuade her to become his bride.
The nameless one sorrowed. In despair he decided to end it all by drowning himself in the ocean, Te Moananui a Kiwa. He called on the patupaiarehe, the people with magical powers who dwelled in the forests of Hautere. They were his friends and they plaited the ropes with their magic to haul him from the hill country toward the ocean. As they pulled on their ropes, they chanted their magic chant.
E hika tū ake
Ki runga rā whitiki taua
Hei tama tū
Kumea ki te uru
Kumea ki te tonga
Hiki nuku
Hiki rangi
I arā rā
Ka ngarue, ka ngarue
Toia ki te hau marangai
Kia whakarongo taku kiri
Te kikini a te rehutai
0 ngā ngaru whatiwhati
E haruru mai nei
Wī wī wī
Wā wā wā
A! hā! hā!
Horahia ō mata ki a Meremere Tūahiahi
Hei taki i te ara ki a Tangaroa
He atua hāo i te tini ki te pō
E kokoia e ara e Arise you who slumber
Prepare ourselves
Prove our manhood
Heave to the west
Heave to the south
Move heaven and earth
It awakens,
It loosens, shudders.
Haul toward the stormy east wind
That the skin may feel
The tang of salt spray
Of the turbulent thundering waves
Wī wī wī
Wā wā wā
A! hā! hā!
Cast your eyes heavenward
Toward Venus, the evening star,
To light the path
To the ocean of Tangaroa,
The god who lures many into his embrace,
Into eternal darkness.
Alas, the birds have awakened
Dawn has come.
The patupaiarehe chanted this song and hauled the nameless one from his place among the hills from Waoku. They gouged out the valley where the river Waimapu now flows. They followed the channel of Tauranga Moana past Hairini, past Maungatapu and Matapihi, past Te Papa. They pulled him to the edge of the great ocean of Kiwa. But it was already close to daybreak. The sun rose. The first rays lit up the summit of the nameless hill and fixed him in that place. The patupaiarehe melted away before the light of the sun. They were people of the night and they flew back to the shady depths of the forests and ravines of Hautere.
The patupaiarehe gave a name to this mountain which marks the entrance to Tauranga Moana. He was called Mauao which means caught by the dawn, or lit up by the first rays of sunrise. In time, he assumed greater mana than his rival Otānewainuku. Later he was also given another name, Maunganui, by which he is now more often known. He is still the symbol of the tribes of Tauranga Moana.
The Three Whales:
The Legend of Mangatawa
Long, long ago, a whale and her baby swam into the Tauranga Harbour. They swam through the entrance, past Mauao (Mt Maunganui) and Te Moutere o Matakana to Te Papa (Tauranga).
They decided to venture further into the harbour, so they swam up past Te Papa and Matapihi toward Maungatapu. Once there, they found the water getting shallower, so they decided to return to deeper water. However, instead of swimming back out through the entrance, they turned and headed into the Rangataua arm of the harbour between Matapihi and Maungatapu.
They struggled over the mudflats of Rangataua, trying to find a way back to the open sea. They knew which direction the ocean lay; they could hear the sound of the waves pounding on to the beach at Omanu and Papamoa. Tired and thirsty, they stopped at ‘Karikari’ on the eastern shore of Rangataua to drink from a spring. They did not know that the spring was magic and that drinking from the spring would turn them into stone. They began to drink. Suddenly all life departed from them.
They both became fixed with the mother whale gazing northward out to the sea and the baby whale nestled beside her. The father whale came in search of his family. He saw that they had turned to stone. He too, drank from the spring and became fixed behind the mother and baby whale, and is known as ‘Kopukairoa’. The mother whale, ‘Mangatawa’, lies at the southern end of Rangataua Bay with the baby whale, ‘Hikurangi’, nestled beside her.
There is a spring at the base of ‘Mangatawa’. Sometimes the water flowing from it is quite white, and it is said to be the milk of the mother whale or ‘Te Waiu o te tohora’. Mangatawa rests there as a guardian of the people of Tauranga Moana and Te Arawa.
Te Purakau o Mangatawa
Kua roa, kua roa, kua eke te tohorā me tana tamaiti ki te whanga o Tauranga. I huri haere ratau ki te tomokanga, i mua atu i a Mauao (Mt Maunganui) me Te Moutere o Matakana ki Te Papa (Tauranga).
I whakatau ratau ki te haere ki roto i te whanga, no reira ka huri i a Te Papa raua ko Matapihi ki Maungatapu. Ka tae ana ki reira, ka kitea te kaha o te wai, no reira ka whakatau ratou kia hoki ki roto i te wai hohonu. Heoi, kaua ki te kauhoe ki waho ka uru ki te tomokanga, ka huri, ka ahu ki roto ki te ringa o Rangataua o te whanga i waenga o Matapihi me Maungatapu.
I tohetohe ratou ki nga repo o Rangataua, e ngana ana ki te kimi huarahi kia hoki ki te moana tuwhera. I mohio ratou he aha te aronga o te moana; I rongohia e koe nga haruru o te ngaru e totika ana ki te one i Omanu me Papamoa. E ruha ana, e matewai ana, ka tu ratou ki 'Karikari' kei te taha rawhiti o Rangataua ki te inu mai i tetahi puna puna. Kaore ratou i mohio ko te puna he mahi makutu me te inu i te puna ka huri ratou hei kohatu. Kua akamata ratou i te inu. Na whakarere tonu atu te ora katoa i a ratou.
I noho tahi raua me te tohorā a te whaea e tiro ana ki te raki ki te tai, kei te taha o te tamaiti te tohorā. Ko te tohorā te matua i haere mai ki te rapu i tona whanau. Ka kite ia kua huri ratou hei kohatu. Ko ia ano i inu i te puna, ka tau ki muri i te whaea me te tohorā, ka kiia hoki ko 'Kopukairoa'. Ko te tohorā te whaea, ko 'Mangatawa', kei te pito tonga o Rangataua Bay me te tohorā tamaiti, 'Hikurangi', kei te taha o ia.
He puna kei te pito o 'Mangatawa'. I etahi wa ka tino ma te wai e rere ana, ka kiia nei he miraka te whaea tohorā ko 'Te Waiu o te tohora' ranei. Ka noho a Mangatawa ki reira hei kaitiaki o nga tangata o Tauranga Moana me Te Arawa.
Long, long ago, a whale and her baby swam into the Tauranga Harbour. They swam through the entrance, past Mauao (Mt Maunganui) and Te Moutere o Matakana to Te Papa (Tauranga).
They decided to venture further into the harbour, so they swam up past Te Papa and Matapihi toward Maungatapu. Once there, they found the water getting shallower, so they decided to return to deeper water. However, instead of swimming back out through the entrance, they turned and headed into the Rangataua arm of the harbour between Matapihi and Maungatapu.
They struggled over the mudflats of Rangataua, trying to find a way back to the open sea. They knew which direction the ocean lay; they could hear the sound of the waves pounding on to the beach at Omanu and Papamoa. Tired and thirsty, they stopped at ‘Karikari’ on the eastern shore of Rangataua to drink from a spring. They did not know that the spring was magic and that drinking from the spring would turn them into stone. They began to drink. Suddenly all life departed from them.
They both became fixed with the mother whale gazing northward out to the sea and the baby whale nestled beside her. The father whale came in search of his family. He saw that they had turned to stone. He too, drank from the spring and became fixed behind the mother and baby whale, and is known as ‘Kopukairoa’. The mother whale, ‘Mangatawa’, lies at the southern end of Rangataua Bay with the baby whale, ‘Hikurangi’, nestled beside her.
There is a spring at the base of ‘Mangatawa’. Sometimes the water flowing from it is quite white, and it is said to be the milk of the mother whale or ‘Te Waiu o te tohora’. Mangatawa rests there as a guardian of the people of Tauranga Moana and Te Arawa.
Te Purakau o Mangatawa
Kua roa, kua roa, kua eke te tohorā me tana tamaiti ki te whanga o Tauranga. I huri haere ratau ki te tomokanga, i mua atu i a Mauao (Mt Maunganui) me Te Moutere o Matakana ki Te Papa (Tauranga).
I whakatau ratau ki te haere ki roto i te whanga, no reira ka huri i a Te Papa raua ko Matapihi ki Maungatapu. Ka tae ana ki reira, ka kitea te kaha o te wai, no reira ka whakatau ratou kia hoki ki roto i te wai hohonu. Heoi, kaua ki te kauhoe ki waho ka uru ki te tomokanga, ka huri, ka ahu ki roto ki te ringa o Rangataua o te whanga i waenga o Matapihi me Maungatapu.
I tohetohe ratou ki nga repo o Rangataua, e ngana ana ki te kimi huarahi kia hoki ki te moana tuwhera. I mohio ratou he aha te aronga o te moana; I rongohia e koe nga haruru o te ngaru e totika ana ki te one i Omanu me Papamoa. E ruha ana, e matewai ana, ka tu ratou ki 'Karikari' kei te taha rawhiti o Rangataua ki te inu mai i tetahi puna puna. Kaore ratou i mohio ko te puna he mahi makutu me te inu i te puna ka huri ratou hei kohatu. Kua akamata ratou i te inu. Na whakarere tonu atu te ora katoa i a ratou.
I noho tahi raua me te tohorā a te whaea e tiro ana ki te raki ki te tai, kei te taha o te tamaiti te tohorā. Ko te tohorā te matua i haere mai ki te rapu i tona whanau. Ka kite ia kua huri ratou hei kohatu. Ko ia ano i inu i te puna, ka tau ki muri i te whaea me te tohorā, ka kiia hoki ko 'Kopukairoa'. Ko te tohorā te whaea, ko 'Mangatawa', kei te pito tonga o Rangataua Bay me te tohorā tamaiti, 'Hikurangi', kei te taha o ia.
He puna kei te pito o 'Mangatawa'. I etahi wa ka tino ma te wai e rere ana, ka kiia nei he miraka te whaea tohorā ko 'Te Waiu o te tohora' ranei. Ka noho a Mangatawa ki reira hei kaitiaki o nga tangata o Tauranga Moana me Te Arawa.
The legend of Poripori:
There is a tributary of the Wairoa River, called Ruangarara, which flows into the main stream from behind the Minden. As the name of this stream suggests, this story is about two ngarara, or taniwha.
Some way up the Ruangarara is a waterfall with a cave behind it. Inside this cave lived a taniwha called Poripori who was well known all round the district of Tauranga Moana. Poripori was a very large taniwha, with a big body nearly three metres long, and huge webbed feet. He also had big bat wings and could fly. Some said he was a maero, a monster. He had a long lizard tail too, like a tuatara, but much, much bigger. His skin was rough and prickly, like the prickly leaves of the rimu.
Not only was Poripori hideous to look at, he also behaved badly, and everyone in Tauranga Moana was afraid of him. When people came up the stream, the Ruangarara, in search of koura, Poripori would rush out and carry them off in his claws back to his cave behind the waterfall. Sometimes he would hide in the bush, and leap out and take the men who went there to snare birds. Sometimes, he would come out into the kumara fields and carry off the women while they were digging the kumara.
One day, Poripori seized a couple of people from Te Pura, the pa now called Wairoa, who were searching for koura. Word of this got back to their guardian taniwha who was known as Te Pura too. This taniwha lived in a deep hole in the Wairoa River just upstream from the pa. Te Pura was very angry that Poripori should be so bold as to take people from his pa.
Te Pura set off upstream, up the Wairoa, up the Ruangarara, to the cave behind the waterfall. "Hey Poripori, you tutua. Who are you to take people from my pa?" Poripori was very angry when he heard this taniwha of Te Pura insulting him. He swooped out of his cave and attacked. The two taniwha tore at each other with their great bat wings. They slashed at each other with their beaks which were sharp like those of a giant kaka. All the creatures of the forest fled; the birds of the forest trees shrieked; the rats and the lizards of the forest floor scuttled for cover. They cowered in the dense bush of the high ranges, as the battle went on in the valley below. The hills and gorges shuddered with the sounds of conflict, the great fight between the two taniwha.
Poripori was getting the worst of the fight. Soon he retreated from the flailing claws of Te Pura. Poripori turned and fled downstream, down the Ruangarara, down the Wairoa. In a flurry of heaving waters he plunged out into Tauranga Moana, closely followed by Te Pura. He was chased on out into the open sea, past Maunganui, north along the coast, past Moehau and into Waitemata. Still Te Pura pursued him, over the isthmus of Tamaki Makaurau, into the waters of Manukau and out into the western seas. Still Te Pura came on after him south past Kawhia and Taranaki. Poripori slipped in behind Mana Island to hide and catch his breath again. He saw an inlet on the mainland and made for it and burrowed a channel inland and hid there. When Te Pura reached the inlet, Poripori dived across to the other channel at Pauatahanui behind Paremata. Te Pura decided he had chased Poripori far enough away. It was unlikely he would come back and make a nuisance of himself in Tauranga Moana. Te Pura returned to his home in the Wairoa River and remained there as the rangatira taniwha and guardian of the people of Wairoa.
Meanwhile, Poripori with all his burrowing of channels to hide in had caused great earthquakes. The earth thrown out of the channels was piled up into mountains. The local people, Ngati Toa, clung to the manuka during all this upheaval. When the shaking was all over and everything was calm again they looked around at the new channels and inlets. They saw the taniwha that had caused the commotion. "Where are you from? Are you a taniwha from Waikato?" Poripori would have liked to have been able to say he was a rangatira taniwha of Waikato. He had heard of the saying Waikato taniwharau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha, for there were many chiefly taniwha on the many bends of the Waikato River. However, he had just been beaten in battle and he had to be honest. "No," he said "I am not from Waikato. I am a tutua, a nobody, from Tauranga Moana. My name is Poripori."
The Ngati Toa were very relieved that this taniwha was not a rangatira taniwha who was likely to attack them. They laughed at his name - Pori two times, or Porirua, they said. They decided the new harbour Poripori had dug up should also have a name and they called it Porirua. The word rua means a food storage pit as well as two. And they laughed at the joke about the meanings of the words Poripori and Porirua. And so Poripori stayed in Porirua. He felt too whakama, too ashamed to ever return to Tauranga Moana. But his name is still there on the Poripori Block, in the hill country behind the Minden.
Some way up the Ruangarara is a waterfall with a cave behind it. Inside this cave lived a taniwha called Poripori who was well known all round the district of Tauranga Moana. Poripori was a very large taniwha, with a big body nearly three metres long, and huge webbed feet. He also had big bat wings and could fly. Some said he was a maero, a monster. He had a long lizard tail too, like a tuatara, but much, much bigger. His skin was rough and prickly, like the prickly leaves of the rimu.
Not only was Poripori hideous to look at, he also behaved badly, and everyone in Tauranga Moana was afraid of him. When people came up the stream, the Ruangarara, in search of koura, Poripori would rush out and carry them off in his claws back to his cave behind the waterfall. Sometimes he would hide in the bush, and leap out and take the men who went there to snare birds. Sometimes, he would come out into the kumara fields and carry off the women while they were digging the kumara.
One day, Poripori seized a couple of people from Te Pura, the pa now called Wairoa, who were searching for koura. Word of this got back to their guardian taniwha who was known as Te Pura too. This taniwha lived in a deep hole in the Wairoa River just upstream from the pa. Te Pura was very angry that Poripori should be so bold as to take people from his pa.
Te Pura set off upstream, up the Wairoa, up the Ruangarara, to the cave behind the waterfall. "Hey Poripori, you tutua. Who are you to take people from my pa?" Poripori was very angry when he heard this taniwha of Te Pura insulting him. He swooped out of his cave and attacked. The two taniwha tore at each other with their great bat wings. They slashed at each other with their beaks which were sharp like those of a giant kaka. All the creatures of the forest fled; the birds of the forest trees shrieked; the rats and the lizards of the forest floor scuttled for cover. They cowered in the dense bush of the high ranges, as the battle went on in the valley below. The hills and gorges shuddered with the sounds of conflict, the great fight between the two taniwha.
Poripori was getting the worst of the fight. Soon he retreated from the flailing claws of Te Pura. Poripori turned and fled downstream, down the Ruangarara, down the Wairoa. In a flurry of heaving waters he plunged out into Tauranga Moana, closely followed by Te Pura. He was chased on out into the open sea, past Maunganui, north along the coast, past Moehau and into Waitemata. Still Te Pura pursued him, over the isthmus of Tamaki Makaurau, into the waters of Manukau and out into the western seas. Still Te Pura came on after him south past Kawhia and Taranaki. Poripori slipped in behind Mana Island to hide and catch his breath again. He saw an inlet on the mainland and made for it and burrowed a channel inland and hid there. When Te Pura reached the inlet, Poripori dived across to the other channel at Pauatahanui behind Paremata. Te Pura decided he had chased Poripori far enough away. It was unlikely he would come back and make a nuisance of himself in Tauranga Moana. Te Pura returned to his home in the Wairoa River and remained there as the rangatira taniwha and guardian of the people of Wairoa.
Meanwhile, Poripori with all his burrowing of channels to hide in had caused great earthquakes. The earth thrown out of the channels was piled up into mountains. The local people, Ngati Toa, clung to the manuka during all this upheaval. When the shaking was all over and everything was calm again they looked around at the new channels and inlets. They saw the taniwha that had caused the commotion. "Where are you from? Are you a taniwha from Waikato?" Poripori would have liked to have been able to say he was a rangatira taniwha of Waikato. He had heard of the saying Waikato taniwharau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha, for there were many chiefly taniwha on the many bends of the Waikato River. However, he had just been beaten in battle and he had to be honest. "No," he said "I am not from Waikato. I am a tutua, a nobody, from Tauranga Moana. My name is Poripori."
The Ngati Toa were very relieved that this taniwha was not a rangatira taniwha who was likely to attack them. They laughed at his name - Pori two times, or Porirua, they said. They decided the new harbour Poripori had dug up should also have a name and they called it Porirua. The word rua means a food storage pit as well as two. And they laughed at the joke about the meanings of the words Poripori and Porirua. And so Poripori stayed in Porirua. He felt too whakama, too ashamed to ever return to Tauranga Moana. But his name is still there on the Poripori Block, in the hill country behind the Minden.
The struggle between Tuhua and Pounamu:
Tuhua is the name for obsidian, a hard black rock sometimes called volcanic glass, which can be broken into sharp flakes and used as a knife. Tuhua is also the name of the island in the Bay of Plenty where this rock is found - Mayor Island. Some say that the original people of this island were called Tuhua.
Some say that the original people of this island were called Tuhua. They emerged from the depths of the earth. They were dark like the rock and lived in the crater of the volcanic island.
One dark stormy night, there arose out of the wild and turbulent green waters of the ocean a people called Pounamu. They tried to invade the crater of Tuhua and make it their home. It was a long fight, a fierce and bloody battle that lasted several days. The Pounamu people were green like the green waters of the ocean they had come from. The blood of their dead flowed into the lake in the crater. To this day the waters of this lake are dark green and it is sometimes called Te Toto o Pounamu because of this. The Pounamu lost many warriors. There were few casualties among the Tuhua and their blood flowed into the smaller, dark-coloured lake in the crater, Te Toto o Tuhua.
Even though they had defeated the Pounamu in this fight, the people of Tuhua wanted to make sure there was no more trouble by chasing them right out of their territory. They chased them across the sea to the mainland, to the shore of Te Ika a Maui, the North Island. They chased them inland to a place near Taupo. The Pounamu pleaded to be allowed to stay at Taupo but the Tuhua pressed on. The Pounamu fled to the south of Te Ika a Maui, across the sea again to the island called Te Wai Pounamu, the South Island. Along the West Coast the Tuhua chased the Pounamu to a place where they could see the snow-capped peaks of the mountain Aorangi piercing the sky.
Tuhua were at last satisfied. They drove the Pounamu up the Arahura, a river which flows from the snows of Aorangi, and left them to their fate. That is why the Arahura, and other valleys of South Westland and Fiordland are the only places where you can find pounamu, the greenstone, or nephrite. The Tuhua returned home but just in case the Pounamu decided to come back north again, they left some of their people west of Taupo. That place is also called Tuhua and is another place where the black volcanic glass called obsidian can be found. But the main place for obsidian is the island of Tuhua. This is the home of the people called Whanau a Tauwhao who settled there long after the battle between the people of Tuhua and Pounamu.
Some say that the original people of this island were called Tuhua. They emerged from the depths of the earth. They were dark like the rock and lived in the crater of the volcanic island.
One dark stormy night, there arose out of the wild and turbulent green waters of the ocean a people called Pounamu. They tried to invade the crater of Tuhua and make it their home. It was a long fight, a fierce and bloody battle that lasted several days. The Pounamu people were green like the green waters of the ocean they had come from. The blood of their dead flowed into the lake in the crater. To this day the waters of this lake are dark green and it is sometimes called Te Toto o Pounamu because of this. The Pounamu lost many warriors. There were few casualties among the Tuhua and their blood flowed into the smaller, dark-coloured lake in the crater, Te Toto o Tuhua.
Even though they had defeated the Pounamu in this fight, the people of Tuhua wanted to make sure there was no more trouble by chasing them right out of their territory. They chased them across the sea to the mainland, to the shore of Te Ika a Maui, the North Island. They chased them inland to a place near Taupo. The Pounamu pleaded to be allowed to stay at Taupo but the Tuhua pressed on. The Pounamu fled to the south of Te Ika a Maui, across the sea again to the island called Te Wai Pounamu, the South Island. Along the West Coast the Tuhua chased the Pounamu to a place where they could see the snow-capped peaks of the mountain Aorangi piercing the sky.
Tuhua were at last satisfied. They drove the Pounamu up the Arahura, a river which flows from the snows of Aorangi, and left them to their fate. That is why the Arahura, and other valleys of South Westland and Fiordland are the only places where you can find pounamu, the greenstone, or nephrite. The Tuhua returned home but just in case the Pounamu decided to come back north again, they left some of their people west of Taupo. That place is also called Tuhua and is another place where the black volcanic glass called obsidian can be found. But the main place for obsidian is the island of Tuhua. This is the home of the people called Whanau a Tauwhao who settled there long after the battle between the people of Tuhua and Pounamu.