Koro and Moko Fishing, Part Three: The Pool of Hinemoa

A story of Ngāti Whakaue, as told by Norma Sturley

Koro smiles, as though he knows what is coming. She is curious, this mokopuna of his. She wants to know everything, and the questions never stop. He doesn’t mind though, because he knows she will pass the stories on to her descendants.

He tells her the well-known love story of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai, and how she is descended from them.

She listens intently and goes off in a dream as though he has transported her back in time. She can hear the sound of Tūtānekai’s flute guiding Hinemoa in the dark waters of Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe as she swam from Hinemoa Point to join him, despite the displeasure of her father.

She wonders if she would have been brave enough to chance that journey.

She hums quietly to herself the soul wrenching waiata written by Hinemoa for Tūtānekai .

HE TANGI NĀ HINEMOA MŌ TANA TĀNE MŌ TŪTĀNEKAI
Te tau e, te tau a te rau
Ka wehe i a au e
Aha i wehe ai?
Ka uru kai roto te niho o Mokoroa
Rarahu tū ana i ōna peke ngāhuru
Tangi ana te wheoro ki te tuakiri
He whana taua nei, te wā o te mamae
Tīkina mai au, whakawairekatia
Kia hoki ake ai te korou ki te ao
E kore hoki ake he ngaki mate pea e
Keria mai au ki te rua haeroa e
Ā ngaro ai rā te wairua

Nearing the island and the anticipated relaxation in the warmth of Hinemoa’s Pool, the mokopuna reflects on another of her Te Arawa ancestors, Te Ao-kapurangi of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, a woman of mana (prestige) and a peacemaker who saved Ngāti Whakaue from annihilation by Ngāpuhi.

Fascinated by the story she had heard many a time from her koro, she begins to sing the song of Te Ao-kapurangi taught to her by her grandmother. She captures the images of the song in her mind.

Whakarongo rā te taringa ki ngā rongo taua e piki mai i hautere, e…i
Ko Ngāpuhi tērā
Ka tanuku kei raro te tihi ki Mokoia e…i
Takoto mai rā, e…
E te kiri kahurangi i ahau e…i
E tū, e whae, e…
He maihi wharenui nō Tamatekapua nō te whānau e…i
Kia whakaputa koe
Te mana o Hoturoa e tū ana koe ngā waka taurua i a Tainui, i a Te Arawa e…
Nā Rangitihi koe
He hekenga iho i a Tamatekapua kia pohiri koe i te tini o Te Arawa e…i
Koia i tō whare whawhao, e…
Ka puta te tangata ka ora ki Te Ao e…i
Houhia e koe te rongo
Uhia e koe te kahu waeronui ki runga o Rotorua,
Kīhai takahia, e…i
Hoki mai, e Ao… Ki runga, ki a Tainui e…i
Te waka o Tūrongo… Nā Raukawa koe rā, e…i

Koro lands their boat on a small sandy beach, and taking the mokopuna’s hand in his, they make their way to the hot pool of Hinemoa. Pointing out places of interest, Koro tells her about the island and how, not too long ago, their ancestors all lived there.

Diverting a little from his course, Koro takes Moko to a place where they can see the Kumara God, Matuatonga, away in the distance. It was due to the great powers of Matuatonga that the kumara flourished on Mokoia Island.

Each year before planting began, tohunga (experts) from surrounding districts would bring their seed kumara to the island. They would touch the stone figure to gain its mana and have flourishing crops of kumara.

Koro points to the place where the meeting house Tamatekapua (now standing in Ōhinemutu on Te Papaiōuru) once stood and where Ngāti Whakaue were saved by Te Ao-kapurangi. He points to the top of the island where those who have passed now lie, as guardians of the sacred isle.

Read part four of this story here

This story comes from the original Great Te Arawa Stories website created by Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru (NPeW) Education Trust in 2018. To ensure consistency, minimal updates were made to the text before it was transferred to this new site.