Ko Te Koroua me Te Mokopuna, Wāhanga Tuatahi: Ngā Kōrero o Ngāti Whakaue

He kōrero tēnei nā Norma Sturley

Ahakoa te kaha hiamoe, ka rongo te mokopuna i tana koroua e whakaoho nei i a ia kia haere tahi rāua ki te hī ika i te roto, kia haere hoki ki Mokoia i tana hiahia kia kitea e tana mokopuna te ātaahua o te whitinga o te rā e ara ana i runga i te kōroto moana rā.

Ka kuhuna e ia ana kākahu, ā, tēnā i te kai i tana parakuihi, ka tere puta kē ia ki waho kia kitea tana koroua e whakaheke ana i te poti ki te wai. E mōhio ana kua oti kē i tana kuia tā rāua kai te taka me tana tohutohu atu ki te koroua kia kaua rawa te mokopuna e hiakai.

Ka heke ki te wai kia ekengia te waka, ko ia ki tētehi atu taha o te koroua i a ia e hoe ana i te poti. He pāpaku noa iho te wai i konei, ā, i ētehi wā i mate te mokopuna ki te pana i te poti ki ngā wāhi hōhonu ake.

He hokinga mahara tēnei ki te wā o te tau kōura i mua i te taenga o ngā manuhiri ki a rātau. Ko Rākaunui te wā pai ki te mahi kōura, ka mutu, ka kitea katoatia ngā kōura i te rama e tīramarama ana i runga i te wai. He mea kohi e rātau ko ōna huānga te rarauwhe ka whakahonoa ai kia whānui tana āhua. Ka waiho noa te tau rā ki tētehi wāhi rimurimu o te roto kāore noa iho i te tino makariri, kāore noa iho hoki i te tino hōhonu.

He mea titi ētehi pou ki te papa moana e noho tika ai te tau i roto i te wai tae noa atu ki te ata o te rā e heke ana. Ka kauhoe ngā kōura ki ngā rarauwhe noho noa ai ka ruiruia ai ki tētehi kete nui, ki tētehi whāriki rānei i mua i te kohinga kia tunua hei kai mā te tangata.

Ka tae ki te wāhi hōhonu o te wai kātahi ia ka rongo i te tukokinga o te waka hei hokinga mahara ki te tai moana. Nā reira a Koro i taki ai i tētehi karakia e tau ai te wai e taea ai e rāua ā rāua aho hī ika te whakarite.

I a rāua e noho ana, ka paku piki, ka paku heke hoki te waka i te āhua o wai kātahi a Tama-nui-te-rā ka ara ake i runga i a Whakapoungākau. Ki reira kitea ai ngā tae rerekē i te āhua o ngā kapua e rere ana i te rangi. Ka pātai atu te mokopuna ki tana koroua mehemea ka heke rānei te ua, heoi, hei tā te koroua, “karekau noa iho”. Ka tono atu te mokopuna kia whakamāramahia e te koroua tana mōhio ki tāna i kī ai. Ka titiro te koroua ki a Ngongotahā, kātahi ki a Moerangi, ā, ka puta i a ia te kōrero mō ngā tohu o ngā maunga e rua nei e whakamōhio ana ki te tangata mehemea ka heke te ua, karekau rānei.

Kua roa nei te iwi Māori e titiro ana ki a Ngongotahā me Moerangi mō ngā tohu o te ua te take. He maunga mana nui, he maunga tapu hoki a Ngongotahā i noho ai, e noho tonu nei pea te iwi Patupaiarehe. Kei a Ngongotahā hoki te mana mehemea ka ua, karekau rānei. Ko Moerangi te maunga e kitea nei i Tarawera, ka mutu, ko ia te maunga hoa wahine o Ngongotahā. Kia ūhia tana taumata e te kapua me te kohu, koirā noa tana tono ki tana tāne, ki a Ngongotahā kia whakaaetia te hekenga o te ua. Ki te kore e tau iho te kohu ki runga i a Ngongotahā, koirā te tohu kua whakahēngia te tono, ā, kāore noa iho e ua.

Ka whakamīharo atu a Moko i te rawe o te kōrero a Koro, ā, ka pātai atu me he kōrero atu anō hei whakapuaki māna. I te korenga o ngā ika e ngau ana i te mōunu ka toko ake te whakaaro kia hoea whaka-te-tongahia te waka ki te tahatika o Waikuta. Ka tohu atu ki a Kawaha, ki te wāhi e kīia nei ko Te Rangikāwhata e noho noa nei i te moana o Rotorua. Ināianei, he maha ngā whare e tū ana, heoi, i mua, he māra i mahia ai e ngā tūpuna i noho ai i Ōhinemutu. He mea whakatupu ngā rīwai me ētehi atu kai i te āhua o te oneone ngāwhāriki i mahana ai ngā māra.