Contribution

The following is a contribution to the Pirongia Bells family history blog from Bella Pease. Bella is a Kawhia-born relative and Ngati Hikairo. Here is some additional information she has provided about our family history.

I am Bella Pease. I was born at Kawhia and my great grandmother is Pera Pohepohe, sister to Te Anu Pohepohe, the mother of John Honi Ruki McGruther. John’s father Robert was a soldier with the British military who fought the Maoris at the Taranaki land war in 1865. Pera’s father was Pohepohe, a great Kawhia chief who went to Taranaki to assist the Maoris there against the British.

When that war ended Robert McGruther went to live at Kawhia. Here he met and married Te Anu, the daughter of chief Pohepohe, one of the Hikairo Maoris he was fighting against at Taranaki. That’s how I’m related to the Pirongia Bells – from Pera Pohepohe through her sister Te Anu and McGruther.

We share the same ancestral turangawaiaia (historical foothold), this being Rangiahau, the principal Tainui pa in ancient times. It was situated on a high place on the northern end of Kawhia Harbour and was the home and eventual resting place of Hoturoa and his wife Whakaoterangi. Many notable Kawhia people were spawned from this place, including Te Rangi Topera, the ‘Queen of the South’ who was one of the five high ranking women to sign the Treaty of Waitangi. She was the niece of Te Ruaparaha and first cousin to another famous warrior-chief, Wiremu Tamihana.

Rangiahau was also the place during the days of the Maori King Movement where the annual Pouaka (king movement ceremonial celebration) was held, the first one taking place 12 March, 1885. Tainui were heavily involved in the King Movement from the 1880’s into the early 1900’s.

Hikairo II Part Two


After some time at Waiari, Hikairo II set off on a punitive raid to Rotorua seeking utu from a tribe called Ngati Whakaue. This Rotorua tribe had earlier assisted Ngati Raukawa's chief, Hapekituarangi, to attack Ngati Maniapoto. Ngati Apakura and Ngati Maniapoto were closely allied by kinship and in that battle a prominent Apakura chief was killed. Hikairo was anxious that his death be avenged.

When his war party arrived at Rotorua he discovered the Ngati Whakaue had retreated to the safety of Mokoia pa situated on Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua. Having no canoes to get to the island to do battle, Hikairo called across the waters challenging the Ngati Whakaue to come over and fight. They understandably refused.

Realizing it was impossible to engage the enemy as long as they stayed holed up on the island, he called across and said his revenge would be satisfied by him drinking the waters of their lake in their presence, probably hoping to anger them into coming out to fight. To the modern mind this might seem an odd thing to do, but to the ancient Maori everything had life and soul and the lake was no exception. By drinking the water of their lake he was symbolically cannibalizing them - a highly insulting act.

The Whakaue rightly suspected a trick and shouted back that he had, in fact, just drank from the waters that one of his illustrious ancestors bathed in. They were referring to Tamangarangi, the wife of Hikairo's ancestor, Haua. She was a woman of high rank and her bathing in the lake, even generations before, rendered it forbidden that any of her descendants drink from it because her mana and spirit was endowed therein. To do so would be the same as cannibalizing your own kin. The Waikato Maori had no problems about roasting and eating the flesh of their enemies but they abhorred doing the same with relatives. An incident that once occurred while some Waikato were visiting a distant tribe illustrates this quite well, but skip it if you are squeamish. It is an account given by an old man called Nepi Terekaunuku and recorded by J. B. W. Roberton, a prominent historian around the Waikato in the 1800's.

When Nepi was a boy, a young woman from the East Coast came with some friends to stay with his tribe and formed a relationship with one of the young men. Their love for each other became strong and they decided to marry. The young man asked her friends and his own tribal elders if he could have her for a wife. Neither her friends or the elders objected so a trip was planned to go to the Coast and obtain consent from her own people. The group consisted of the young couple and her friends, Nepi, and several notable members of the tribe.

When they arrived at the girl's village they were warmly greeted and well treated by the girl's father, the principal chief of that tribe. The chief gladly agreed to the match and invited his new friends to stay a few days and enjoy his hospitality.

As was the way, the young girls of the village served the meals to the guests, and the visitors couldn't help but notice one particularly fine-looking girl. Many of the visitors commented on her good looks. Even the new husband remarked to his wife how nice the girl looked and asked who she was. His wife told him she was a just a tutua (common person) and acknowledged that she was good looking with a nice covering of fat.

The next day when the food was brought to the visitors, there was a great deal of fuss and ceremony. This time the food was carried in newly woven kono (raupo baskets) by the men who danced and chanted a ngere and made much ado over the baskets and the of presentation of them to their guests.

Obviously, the visitors were keen to know what was so special about this meal and when the steaming baskets were opened they recognized baked human flesh. The chief, upon hearing the remarks about the very nice looking girl thought, as his daughter did, that his son-in-law had a cannibal appetite for her and promptly had her killed and cooked. In his eyes he was paying his son-in-law and his visitors a great compliment by having the girl served up to them as food. It was an example of supreme hospitality and he and his people were not a little offended when the Waikato visitors expressed shock and horror and refused to eat it.

The Waikato people explained that they never ate friends or relatives and were shocked that anyone could, especially one of the same tribe. The chief told him that his people had no such squeamish feelings.

The Waikato folk were so disgusted, especially when they observed their hosts eating their own young woman, that even though they they were cannibals themselves, they actually vomited at the sight.

Now, back to Hikairo's war against Ngati Whakaue at Rotorua. Hikairo was badly stung by the rebuke about him drinking the water his illustrious ancestor had once bathed in and feeling emboldened by this psychological body blow the Whakaue sallied forth and wound up getting soundly beaten by the Waikato group.

Following this victory Hikairo was invited by another Rotorua tribe, Ngati Rangiwehiwehi, to assist them in their ongoing battles with an enemy tribe, Ngati Te Rangi. He agreed and after the defeat of this tribe he stayed many years with Rangiwehiwehi and even took a third wife from among them and raised a family. The two tribes became so closely allied they eventually went by the name Ngati-Hikairo-of-Ngati-Rangiwehiwehi. It would be a safe presumption that Hikairo's first home was always Waiari in the Waipa and his second residence at Rotorua with Rangiwehiwehi. It was nothing for Maoris to walk long distances between locations so one would presume he went back and forth between Waipa and Rotorua, probably a three to four day walk.

When Hikairo II was in his sixties, a squabble that started over an argument about fish distribution escalated into a major war that is said to have involved over ten thousand warriors. It was instigated by the old foe, Ngati Toa, who gathered an enormous force of soldiers from tribes all over the North Island to engage in a war for the total annihilation of the Waikato. It culminated in the battle which became popularly known as Hingakaka, which means fallen parrots, so called because so many chiefs were slain their colored feather cloaks lay scattered about like dead parrots. My preferred name is the one given by our own ancestor, Arthur Ormsby, who said the right name is Henga aka aka, as the sight so much resembled fallen fern stalks after a fire. This name sounds more logical. It appears Hikairo was in Rotorua with his other family when this battle was fought, but there are accounts that state he was there. Perhaps he rushed back to join the fight and arrived toward its conclusion.

After Henga aka aka he seems to have remained at Waiari due to some pressing affairs once again involving wars. The first was an expedition with Maniapoto against an alliance of Wanganui tribes in retaliation for an earlier attack by those tribes on his Waikato relatives. When the Hikairo-Maniapoto war party reached the big Wanganui River the tribes had retired to the safety of their pa on the opposite banks. Seeing no chance for a military victory, Hikairo called across inviting the Wanganui chief to talk peace terms. The Wanganui leaders were suspicious of a trick and refused the offer until he invoked their relationship through Maringirangi, and important ancestress common to them both. With this the chief crossed the river and and peace was established. To this day the place is still known as Te Horangapai-a-Hikairo.

As we can see, Hikairo II was a warlike character who survived numerous military campaigns throughout the central North Island. But, as the old saying goes - with a slight modification - 'He who lives by the taiaha dies by the taiaha' and Hikairo's time came probably in the late 1790's when he joined his Ngati Hourua relatives on an expedition against his old enemy, Ngati Whakaue. By now he was well into his late sixties and the prospects of another staush against Whakaue must have been just too hard to resist.

They were met by a strong force of Whakaue and some allies at Pukerimu near Cambridge, and in the ensuing battle were sorely beaten. All his cousin chiefs were either captured or killed and those captured were tortured and executed. Only Muriwhenua was released because of some relationship to Whakaue. The wily Hikairo, though, once again escaped death and headed back to Waiari. However, along the way he made the fateful decision to turn back to be with his captured brethren. Why he chose to do this would be best known to himself, but one can conjecture that perhaps his overpowering sense of honor and loyalty to his companions-in-arms compelled him to return, knowing full well he would die. Maybe he figured he had one last trick up his sleeve to save them all, like invoking the name of some ancestor common to both tribes. It had worked before. But the more likely scenario is that he felt he was just getting too old and it was better to go out like a warrior than a weak, feeble old man. His final statement before he was executed and beheaded was an indication of this where he said, 'My sons will avenge me.'

It should be noted that the Maori of Hikairo's day lived under the constant shadow of conflict and death and whilst they wanted to live they were nevertheless not afraid to die. As a result they would throw themselves into battle with little apparent fear for their lives. This was something that greatly impressed the British during their wars with the Maori in later years.

This fearlessness had a down side, of course; they had no scruples about killing anyone deemed their enemies, and it was easy to become an enemy. One could be a friend one day and a mortal foe the next over something as simple as an affront or insult. The law of utu meant that for every wrongdoing there had to be atonement, or payment, and the payment had to be like-for-like. As a result, society by Hikairo II's time had become a constant round of raid and counter raid.

After Hikairo's execution, one Hapekituarangi, a Ngati Raukawa chief allied to Ngati Whakaue and the day before fighting against Hikairo's band, undertook to return Hikairo's severed head back to his people. He claimed this right on account of ancestry and relationship. In those times it was critical to his mana and his afterlife that the head of a fallen chief be returned to his kainga; his home and people.

Hape duly packed the head in a beautifully carved box and set off for Pirongia and Waiari pa. He was not warmly welcomed, the Waiari folk naturally regarding him as one of Hikairo's killers. However, the rules of hospitality demanded they treat him civilly. Whakamarurangi, Hikairo's son and now principal chief of the new Ngati Hikairo, beseeched Hape to stay with the neighboring Ngati Puhiawe who were not so directly involved in the affair; he could not guarantee his safety at Waiari. Hape flatly refused and duly spent the duration of his stay with Whakamarurangi. Whilst an unwelcome guest he was not harmed and in due course returned to Pukerimu.

Thus ended the days of Hikairo II, the eponymous ancestor of Ngati Hikairo.

Written by David Bell

Sources:

1. J. B. W. Roberton, Maori Settlement of the Waikato District (Te Awamutu Hist. Soc. Inc., Bulletin No. 2, 1983).

2. Lesley G. Kelly, Tainui, 1949.

3. R. D. Cosby, The Musket Wars (Reed Publishing Ltd. NZ 1999).

4. From an interview with P.M. Bell, Bell family kaumatua and historian.





　

　



　

   Easy-read Chart 3. This chart will take you through the remainder of our Hikairo line to yourself.


  Pareoranga+Hikairo II+Rangikopi
      _______I                  I________
      I            I                                   I
Te Hono  Pikia             Whakamarurangi+Te Rarangi
              ___________________________I_____________________
              I            I                 I                I         I           I           I            I
         Kopa  Te Makaho       I         Te Weu   Rewa   Hihi   Te Au  Toataua
                              Te Akerautangi+Te Akepetiti
               _____________________I____________________________________
              I                    I                                  I            I             I                  I             I
  Toatakahunga   Pohepohe+Karopeneti  Toataua  Porima Te Atakahu Te Mutu Tuauru
              _______________I_______ 
              I           I         I             I        I
       Toko     Pera     Rangi    Mita   Te Anu+Robert McGruther
                                           _____________ I_____
                                           I        I                            I
                                      Mutu   Sam  John Honi Ruki Pohepohe+Daisy Kura Ormsby
                                                        ________________________I____
                                                        I                   I              I                      I           
                                       John Robert(Jock) Moana Joy Colin  Jean Waireti+Peter Bell
                                                                    (lived 2 months)                                  I
                          ______________________________________________ I___
                          I              I        I            I         I          I            I            I              I
                 Peter(Mac)  Paul  Colin  Glenda  John   David  Maurice Stewart  Jan Marie
                                   (12 hours)                                 (stillborn)                                                   
                          
      

                                                      

Hikairo II

Part One

The eponymous ancestor of Ngati Hikairo is without question Hikairo II, the grandson of the first Hikairo, the Ngati Apakura chief slain in an ambush by a war party of Ngati Puhiawe after the defence of Tupapakurua, the Apakura village near what is Te Awamutu today. The death of this first Hikairo ushered in the decline of Apakura as a dominant force in the area.

It appears that Hikairo's demise was enough to appease the Puhiawe people and peace was made between the two tribes. By the time Hikairo II rose to prominence Apakura and Puhiawe had become close allies and were living harmoniously with each other.

Hikairo II was born at or near Pirongia around 1730. His father was Puku, the Apakura chief, and his mother was Te Mihinga. He was a strong and healthy boy and as he grew it became clear he was a young man with much potential. As a result, he was sent with his friend and cousin, Tiriwa, a Ngati Puhiawe youth of the same age, to the Ngati Toa School of Learning (Ahurei) at Kawhia. The Ahurei could be seen as the equivalent of our modern university, albeit with a radically different curriculum. There were a few scattered around the country operated by tribes who held the rights to them and who jealously guarded those rights. In Hikairo II's time it was the Ngati Toa who ran the Kawhia Ahurei.

The instructors at the Kawhia school would have included older, well seasoned tohungas, chiefs, and other experts in their fields. The Ahurei was open for instruction seasonally and students might be there for a year or more.

Accommodation in the form of rudimentary sleeping huts was provided for Hikairo and Tiriwa while the local students went back to their own villages. Hikairo and Tiriwa lived on site but they had to get their own food, which was probably not a great problem because these schools, wherever located, were for related tribes. They would have plenty of relatives around to provide for them and being high-born would have been accorded the customary care due their station as young chiefs.

Hikairo and Tiriwa did well at the Ahurei and finished their courses to become qualified tohungas. A tohunga is a trained priest - for want of a better title. In actuality he was a lot more than that. A priest by our definition is more a minister or clergyman concerned mainly with the spiritual aspects of his community. A tohunga, on the other hand, was one who had been trained in many fields. Not only was he expert in native religion, but also in such things as genealogies, history, legends, astronomy (as it was in those times), language, culture and tradition, makutu (magic or sorcery as we would view it), martial arts and many other skills of the day. It was no mean feat to qualify as a tohunga and only the best and brightest were selected to attend the school. It should also be remembered that the Maori had no written word so all the lessons were orally transmitted and all information had to be thoroughly memorized. The tohunga developed some astonishing memorization skills.

During Hikairo's time there were some tensions between the Kawhia Ngati Toa and their inland cousin-tribes. Nevertheless, they were obliged by relationship to take in the two boys as trainee tohungas. But when they finished and left to return to the Waipa, they were sternly warned not to come back to Kawhia with any warlike intentions.

The youthful Hikairo was apparently not listening because as soon as he arrived home he found his great-uncle, Te Ahooterangi of Ngati Mahuta, and Ngati Maniapoto's Te Iwitauroa, preparing for an assault on Ngati Toa at Kawhia and he joined them. One can only speculate as to why he didn't heed the warning of his Ngati Toa hosts. Perhaps he felt he hadn't been treated well during his stay in Kawhia. There is some talk that the huts provided were substandard and that he and Tiriwa were always regarded with suspicion and treated a bit offhandedly by the host tribe. He may have seen this as an insult.

The expedition against the Ngati Toa at Kawhia turned out to be an ill-fated affair resulting in a sound defeat. Hikairo and his uncle, Te Ahooterangi, managed to come through the fighting with their heads on but Te Iwitauroa  and many others were slain. A few managed to make a dash for the safety of the hills and flee, but Hikairo stayed with Te Ahooterangi who insisted they run for their lives along the beach, fearing his older legs would not cope with the steep hillsides. He reasoned that he could run a lot faster along the hard, flat sand. His plan was to gain a good head start on his pursuers and then head for the hills further along where the bush was thicker and better in which to disappear.  Unfortunately, his legs proved too weak and he began to flag. As he increasingly slowed it became apparant that he wasn't going to make it, their pursuers now in clear sight and gaining. Finally, when all hope of escape was gone, Te Ahooterangi, gasping for breath, commanded Hikairo to turn to the bush-clad hills and leave him to his fate. To save his own life Hikairo had no option but to do as the old man said, so after helping him to a seat on the roots of a large pohutukawa tree, he bade his uncle farewell and ran off the beach and up a hillside.

Once safely out of reach of the pursuing Ngati Toa warriors he stopped and looked downed to where he left Te Ahooterangi in time to see him being clubbed to death and beheaded on the roots of the same tree upon which he was seated. The Ngati Toa then started after him but by then he had gained the advantage and being strong and fleet of foot soon made any further pursuit hopeless. He had escaped certain death by the skin of his teeth.

It was a lesson well learned because he never engaged in any more attacks on Kawhia, choosing instead to settle at Pirongia and build his support base there.

When he was of age (in those days around nineteen) he married Rangikopi, a high ranking woman from a neighbouring tribe called Ngati Horotakere who dwelt on the slopes of Pirongia mountain, their territory extending south-east to the Mangati-Ngutunui district where the Ngati Paiariki lived. It was a heavily forested land rich with bird life and eeling rivers. Hikairo and Rangikopi had a son whom they named Whakamarurangi, and it is through this line we descend. He later took another wife, Pareoranga, through which other Hikairo branches grew. Later still, he went to Rotorua and took a third wife from a tribe called Rangiwehiwehi and began a whole new Rotorua branch on his family tree. More will be mentioned about his Rotorua family in part two of this article.

As time went by Hikairo became the dominant chief over Ngati Apakura and its territories, but an ugly incident between Ngati Apakura and his wife's Horotakere people tore the two tribes apart and caused Hikairo to alienate himself from his Apakura kinsman.

While he was away, some of his Ngati Apakura people took it upon themselves to launch an unprovoked and brutal attack on Rangikopi's folk on the slopes of Pirongia Mountain. The raid was for no apparent reason than to grab the bushland territory from Horotakere for its fat wood pigeons and other food resources. It was, of course, a raid Hikairo II would never have sanctioned if he were present, hence, one would suppose, the reason it was carried out in his absence. He returned just in time to witness the aftermath; Ngati Horotakere were annihilated and ruined beyond recovery.

Greatly grieved and filled with anger, he sought out the taua (war party) responsible for the attack and threatened dire consequences upon them if they continued their activities, for they were searching frantically for Rangikopi's mother, Tengako, who had escaped the carnage. Hikairo, too, was searching for her and if she was indeed still alive it was imperative he find her first as she was the highest ranking Horotakere at the time. By killing Tengako, her assassins could claim all the Horotakere lands by right of conquest.  

While he was reading the riot act to the murderous band he caught movement coming from the tree behind them. It was a tiki (precious greenstone neck pendant) on a long string moving in and out of the lower foliage. He instantly recognized the tiki as belonging to Tengako, his mother-in-law, and, glancing up, saw her high in the tree where she had taken refuge. His confrontation was fortuitously taking place right beneath her hiding place.  But the band was in a foul mood and believing he was sheltering the old woman demanded Hikairo to tell them where she was. Outnumbered and realizing his own life was at stake, he quickly told them a false location and sent them on a wild goose chase. Another version gives a more straightforward account simply saying he heard her calling to him from the tree and confident of her safety now that he was there, came out of the tree. This could well be what really happened but the first story is well known and if not the true account, certainly the more dramatic of the two.

However, what happened next has drama aplenty and will give the reader an insight into at least one aspect of old Maori law over land rights.

Upon descending from her hiding place, Tengako begged her son-in-law to kill her on the spot so that at least her lands would remain in the possession of her posterity through her daughter Rangikopi, Hikairo's wife. It was the way in those days that when you were taking someone else's land you kill off anyone who had a legitimate claim. Once all traces of ownership were obliterated the land belonged to the victors. In this case, Tengako was the recognized guardian of the land coveted by Apakura and by killing her they could claim it all. Tengako knew she was doomed so she pleaded with Hikairo to kill her so that he would be the one who, as her killer, had the first rights to her property. And, because her daughter was his wife, it would remain in the possession of her descendants through Rangikopi. One must reason from this bizarre request that she had great faith in her son-in-law's loyalty.

Realizing he was powerless to save her he agreed to her request. After an appropriate tangi (funeral rite) was arranged and completed, he summarily dispatched the old woman. It is not known how Tengako was killed; probably hanged or clubbed. He couldn't save his mother-in-law but he was able to prevent the bodies of the slain Horotakere from going into the ovens and also ensure Rangikopi kept her land.  

Greatly offended by this attack, Hikairo II divided from the main body of Ngati Apakura and with family and followers went to live with Tiriwa, his old Ngati Puhiawe cousin and friend. He made his base at a pa called Waiari situated on the banks of the Mangapiko River near Pirongia. From that time on, probably around 1750, a new tribal entity, Ngati Hikairo, began to emerge from Ngati Apakura, and from Waiari Hikairo consolidated his position and set out on his many expeditions against old enemies, particularly the Te Arawa tribes at Rotorua.

 

End Part One  

 

Hikairo I

Our line continues down from Whatihua who was the chief of the Waipa and Waikato regions. His half-brother, Turongo, settled just south of Whatihua's inheritance in what we call the King Country today. Whatihua had two wives and the wife we descend from is Apakura. The other wife was Ruaputahanga and the King Country Ngati Maniapoto is our cousin tribe from that marriage. For some reason our first ancestral tribe was named after Whatihua's mother, Apakura, so for eleven genrations our tribe was Ngati Apakura; that is to say from the day of Whatihua and Apakura down to Hikairo II. The following genealogical chart will show these generations. In this article we will pass over the individuals from Whatihua to the first Hikairo because little or nothing has been handed down about them.

Easy-read Chart 2

Ruaputahanga+Whatihua+Apakura
     _________I                 I_______
     I                                                  I
Turongo                            Marumahanga+Tuimete
                                                        I
                                                 Pikirangi+Waitawake
                                                        I
                                               Tutgangana+Waikauhoe
                                                        I
                                                  Tuawhio
                                                        I
                                               Tuhuritaniwha
                                                         I
                                                  Tamataitai
                                      __________I_______________
                                      I                                                  I
                            Taikiterangi                                   Whakatau
                                                                                          I
                                                                                   Tamatea+Tumarouru
                                                                  ________________I____________
                                                                  I                        I                                 I
                                                       Tukemata         Hikairo I+Ngahautaua  Whaeapare
                                                                                 ________I_____
                                                                                I                          I
                                                                          Kuiatu                  Puku+Te Mihinga
                                                                                        ____________I_______
                                                                                       I                                       I
                                                  Hikairo II (Ngati Hikairo)+Rangikopi      Paretaiko 

HIKAIRO I

 

There are two ancestors named Hikairo on our whakapapa. This is the story of the first one. His grandson, Hikairo II is the ancestor after whom our tribe (Ngati Hikairo) is named.

 

Hikairo I was born near Pirongia about 1650 AD and rose to be the main chief of Ngati Apakura, the dominant tribe around the Waipa. Ngati Apakura shared the territory with several other groups which often led to arguments over food resources. One particular squabble blew out into a major dispute which led to bloodshed and the death of Hikairo I.

 

The strife began near the end of 1600 AD over an important eel weir. River and lake eels were a major food resource for inland Maori who built extensive eel traps that were permanently fixed in the best fishing spots. These eel-weirs were closely guarded because it wasn't uncommon for people from other tribes to steal the trapped eels when no-one was looking.   

 

One of the tribes Ngati Apakura shared the territory with was Ngati Puhiawe, cousins to Apakura. Puhiawe built a big eel-weir on the Mangaotama stream which runs from the northern end of Lake Ngaroto and flows down to the Waipa River via Te Rore. As was customary they named their weir Tautepo. The old Maori believed everything had a spirit and therefore needed to be respected as if it were a living thing. If given due respect it would then respond by giving back; in this case, a plentiful supply of eels.

 

Ngati Apakura claimed sovereignty around the lake area and a dispute arose over the placement of the weir. Lake Ngaroto is a lot smaller today than in the older times. Farming and drainage have considerably reduced its size. In Hikairo's time it was a large deep- water lake surrounded by bush and full of eels and waterfowl. It was a coveted piece of real estate. The quarrel eventually escalated into a fight when men from both tribes were out fishing on the water in their canoes. Some shouting and taunting went on and then it got physical and a 'canoe-fight' broke out.

 

The canoes were usually manned by two fishermen so this 'Battle of the Canoes' as it became known, was essentially a naval action. One man on each canoe would paddle at the opposition with the second man standing at the bow with his weapon, presumably a big stick or taiaha (a long-handled blade-like instrument made of wood and used for thrusting and striking). The hand-held stone club (mere or patu) would have been unsuitable as it would have required the fighters to engage in hand-to-hand combat which, on canoes wobbling about on the water, would have made it impossible to keep any sort of balance. The taiaha allowed the combatants to stand in the canoe and swing at each other. It must have been one of the strangest battles in local history and, as it turned out, Puhiawe got the upper hand and Apakura lost the fight. Those that weren't too badly wounded or killed paddled or swam out of the lake and retreated south to a place called Kawa, near Otorohanga, with Puhiawe hot on their tails. Kawa had a swamp thick with flax plants where the Apakura men hid, hoping the pursuing Puhiawe would follow. The flax bushes provided thick cover ideal for concealment. Their long blade-like leaves also offered the advantage of making a distinct sound whenever they were even lightly disturbed. The Apakura men could hide among the bushes and pounce on their pursuers before they had a chance to respond. But the Puhiawe men sensed the danger and gave up the pursuit.

 

When the beaten Apakura returned home their chief, Hikairo I, was incensed at the impudence of the Puhiawe and determined to exact revenge. In those days vengeance was a law. It meant that when a wrong was done, utu (payment based on the eye-for-an-eye principle) was required to put things right. Therefore, Hikairo demanded utu and needing assistance set forth to visit his Ngati Maniapoto cousins who lived where Otorohanga is today. He was greeted warmly by his Maniapoto cousin-chief, Te Kanawa (also his brother-in-law), but the request for Maniapoto help in a war with Puhiawe was not quite so warmly received. Te Kanawa was hesitant in becoming involved in someone else's dispute, especially when Puhiawe were also his relations.

 

Hikairo, sensing his reluctance, took an unusual and drastic action; he jumped into the hangi pit where food for him was being prepared by Paretuiri, an Ngati Maniapoto woman. In some symbolic manner, this was an extraordinarily powerful way in which solicit the assistance of Te Kanawa. One can only imagine the shock and surprise of Te Kanawa at such an action. Perhaps it was Hikairo's way of stating, unequivocally, that he would rather be cooked in the hangi than return to his people empty handed. The ploy worked because Te Kanawa quickly promised him a contingent of warriors to accompany him back to the Waipa. And, what about Paretuiri? Again, it must be left to the imagination how shocked and terrified the poor woman must have been when Hikairo jumped into her hangi. It was an absolute sacrilege for a chief to even touch anything to do with the preparation of a hangi, let alone leap into one. She must have sprung from the hole in fear of some curse falling upon her.

 

The hangi, of course, would be desecrated and ruined and a fresh one would have to be dug.

 

Hikairo began his homeward journey with Maniapoto reinforcements and met the Ngati Puhiawe taua (war party) at Kawa. Puhiawe had got wind of Hikairo's plans and set out to meet him en-route home to 'cut-him-off-at-the-pass, so to speak. In the ensuing battle the Puhiawe chief, Ngatuera, was killed which culminated in a thorough defeat for Puhiawe. What was left of them fled to Kawhia for refuge among the Ngati Paiariki; a tribe they were closely associated with through marriages.

 

With Ngati Puhiawe gone and seemingly never coming back, Hikairo took all their eel-weirs and properties around the Waipa and Te Kanawa and his brother, Ingoa, took their eel-weirs and properties around Kakepuku Mountain.

 

But the Puhiawe people were not down-and-out just yet. At Kawhia they built a pa (settlement) which they named, Whanganamu, which means, 'Make ourselves numerous.' In fact, when they fled from Hikairo and his Maniapoto forces a warrior, Kanganui, vowed that when they were as numerous as sand-flies they would return or utu.

 

They must have worked on an accelerated breeding program because within a few years they returned and with the help of their Paiariki benefactors began to extract 'payment' from their Waipa cousins, launching three attacks on one of the main Apakura fortified villages at Te Awamutu, all of which had limited success. The signature battle occurred on the fourth attempt.

 

The pa (fortified village) was called Tupapakurua and was situated on the northern bank of the Mangapiko Stream where it formed a long loop. Tupapakurua was nestled on the bank and almost totally surrounded by the protective arm of the river. On this fourth attempt, the Puhiawe and Paiariki had gathered more numbers and completely surrounded the pa. So confident were they this time of victory that they delayed their assault until dawn the following day, choosing to first harass the inhabitants with insults, taunts, and frequent displays of their strength - a psychological softening-up strategy.

 

Hikairo, alerted to the Tupapakurua predicament, hurried back to Taurangamiromiro, his Ngaroto headquarters, and gathered more warriors to go to the aid of the Te Awamutu village. They travelled through the night and arrived at Tupapakurua to find it crawling with Puhiawe. There was no possibility of getting past them by force. Instead, he quietly retreated upstream and with his forces slipped into the inky river and like eels they glided with current until reaching a hidden track up to the pa he knew of and as yet undiscovered by the Puhiawe. Under the cover of darkness, and undetected, they quietly entered the village.

 

The next morning when the Puhiawe arose with the sun to launch their attack they were stunned to find the pa bristling with defenders. They had no choice but to abandon the campaign and pack up and leave. One account says that as a parting gesture some of the older women of the pa with the more generous posteriors stood on the parapets, and baring the said posteriors, shook them vigorously at the departing Puhiawe.

 

Hikairo and his people were overjoyed at their victory and watched as the Puhiawe disappeared along the trail towards Pirongia. To make sure the Puhiawe had really gone Hikairo sent some scouts to follow them at a distance and report their findings. Several hours later they returned with the all-clear; Puhiawe and their Paiariki friends were indeed gone, their footprints  along the trail clear proof they were all heading back to Kawhia; they had given up and were going home. With the crisis over, the Apakura people began to leave the safety of the pa and disperse to their various homes.

 

But they underestimated the cunning Puhiawe who were not now trudging back to Kawhia with their tails between their legs, but were, instead, waiting in ambush among the fern and bracken. Instead of continuing to Pirongia and then on to Kawhia their leader Kanganui, the one who vowed to return when they were as numberless as sand-flies, had them walk ahead a few miles then retrace their steps walking backwards to disguise the fact that they had actually returned, their footprints all facing the same way.

 

Hikairo, confident the Puhiawe were gone, set out with some others along the same trail and was duly ambushed. In the resulting battle they were thoroughly outnumbered and a heavy slaughter ensued. Hikairo, the Apakura chief was among the slain. His death weakened Ngati Apakura's dominance over the region.

 

Kanganui, satisfied that Hikairo's death was sufficient utu, made peace with Ngati Apakura and took over the Pirongia lands owned by Apakura. Here, Puhiawe established a large settlement and by the next generation the peoples of both tribes had become close allies and lived in harmony together.

 

Hikairo's grandson, Hikairo II would further cement this alliance and from him would emerge a new Waikato entity, Ngati Hikairo.

 

Written by David Bell

Sources used:  

 

 

 

 

 

   

                                                                                                 

More on mihi

Here's another mihi simpler in format but longer in your genealogical information. it's much the same as the first one but without the 'toku' in each line.

Ko Tainui toku te waka.....Tainui is (ko) my canoe.
Ko Pirongia te maunga....Pirongia is my mountain.
Ko Nakuawhia te awa....Nakuawhia is my river.
Ko Waipa te whenua....Waipa are my lands.
Ko Hikairo te iwi....Hikairo is my tribe.
Ko Hikairo te ragatira....Hikairo is my (ancestral) chief (after which the tribe is named).
Ko Purekireki te marae....Purekireki is my marae.
Ko Peter McGruther Pere te kaumatua....P.M. (Mac) Bell is my Elder.
Ko Rawhiri Pere te ingoa...David Bell (your own name) is my name.

Here's some informal mihi (greetings) and responses

Kia ora....Hello...(kee-a ora)
Tena koe...Hello you (one person)...(ten 'aa' quay)...'aa' meaning hold it longer.
Tena korua...Hello you (two people)...(Ten aa ko roo a)
Tena koutou...Hello to you (three or more)
Tena koutou katoa...hello to the whole damn lot of you and too bad if my Maori is poor at least I'm trying!

Common greeting:

Kei te pehea koe?.... How are you?

Responses:

Kei te pai ahau...Good (kei te pai) ahau (me or I)
Ka nui te ora...Big (ka nui) te ora (peace/calmness)...all is calm.
Me Koe...And you?

Farewells

Haere ra...goodbye to someone leaving (Hay eddy ra)...the 'r' has a slight roll to it)
E Noho ra...goodbye someone staying.

So on this note it's e noho ra from me.

Coming up...

I'll let you digest those stories  about our first Maori ancestors and the next task will be to introduce some easy-to-read genealogical tables (charts). These are valuable in that they give a sense of location to those ancient names and characters and their path down to us - or our path back to them, whichever way you see it. If I dump the whole lot on you at once it will be a confusing jumble of names so I'll begin them in short, digestible blocks. Here's the first one; females are in pink...follow the red line.

                                                      
                                                        Easy-read Table 1.        

                                               
                                               Hoturoa + Whakaoterangi
                        __________________ I_____________   
                       I                           I                                    I
               Hotuope             Hotumatapu              Kahukeke+Rakataura
                                                                          _________ I________
                                                                         I             I                      I
                                                                  Houmea        I                  Hape
                                                                                  Kakati+Ururangi
                                                                            _________I_________
                                                                            I                                    I
                                            Puniatekore+Tawhao+Marutehiakina Tuhianga
                                       _______________ I        I___________         
                                      I                                                               I
                       Turongo+Mahinaarangi      Ruaputahanga+Whatihua+Apakura


                                   Table 2 when we have gone through a few more ancestors.

Whatihua and Turongo, Tawhao's Competitive Sons.

WHATIHUA AND TURONGO

WHATIHUA AND TURONGO were the sons of the Kawhia Chief Tawhao from different mothers. As discussed in the previous article on Tawhao, it was Whatihua who was born first from Marutehiakina, Tawhao's junior wife, and Turongo a short while after from Puniatekore, the senior wife and older sister of Marutehiakina. 

However, when Tawhao married Punuiatekore it appeared that she was unable to conceive. To the old Maori it was critical that a married couple have issue as soon as possible as the firstborn child carried the next generation. With this came rank and titles.

Punuiatekore, understanding the problem, suggested to her husband that he take her younger sister for a second wife and that way ensure they had a child to keep the mana (leadership, power, title etc.) in the family. Whatihua readily agreed to her proposal and married Marutehiakina.

As fate would have it, Punuiatekore surprised everyone and fell pregnant at about the same time as Marutehiakina. Marutehiakina delivered first with Punuiatekore giving birth shortly after. Marutehiakina, having delivered first claimed the right of the firstborn for her son whom she named Whatihua. This did not please Punuiatekore who believed that as the senior wife that right went to Turongo, her son. It was a bone of contention that would plague the family for years to come.

It was largely because of this contention that the two boys grew up constantly competing with each other. However, it was Whatihua who was the more aggressive, always striving to get the better of his younger half-brother in everything they did. Turongo, for his part, was more obliging and good natured and as a result nearly always came second to Whatihua.

In his youth Whatihua especially excelled in the contests that required physical prowess and craftiness. His brother Turongo, being more cerebral, excelled in such things as bird snaring, house building, singing and oratory. He was also exceptionally handsome and appealing to the ladies.

As they matured into men of marrying age - probably around nineteen years old - Turongo set off on a trip south to the Taranaki district and met a young woman of high rank famed for her exceptional beauty. Her name was Ruaputahanga, a direct descendant of Turi, captain of the Aotea canoe, which, like Tainui, had made the trip from Hawaiki. The two were deemed an excellent match and became betrothed. Highly pleased that he had captured the heart of such a beauty and madly in love, Turongo immediately returned to Kawhia to build a suitable house for his beloved.

By now, Whatihua was showing all the signs of becoming a prominent chief and had become highly skilled as an agriculturalist, his kumara gardens undoubtedly the best in the district. He lived at Aotea a few miles north of Kawhia and built himself a grand house which he named Wharenui (Big House).

As soon as Turongo got home he felled a large tree for the ridgepole of his new house, and being in good spirits and more trusting in nature, he sought the advice of Whatihua. Upon observing that Turongo's ridgepole was much bigger than the one he had in his house, Whatihua became envious and true to his crafty disposition told Turongo that it was too long to hold the weight that would be put upon it. It would be much stronger if shortened. Believing the advice to be good, Turongo shortened the pole and as a result his finished house, which he named Whare-e-ngarere, ended up considerably smaller than Whatihua's Wharenui.

Turongo also constructed a couple of sizeable storehouses and still trusting his brother's counsel, asked him about filling them. Again Whatihua took the opportunity to outwit Turongo by telling him to wait until spring when the food would be fresh. He then went back and promptly filled his own storehouses to capacity. Another version of this story says he told Turongo he had it on sound inside advice that Ruaputahanga much preferred small kumara to fat ones, whereupon Turongo carefully selected small kumara and filled his storehouses with them.

In due course Ruaputahanga and her extensive retinue set out from Patea for Kawhia arriving early summer. She received a welcome befitting a woman of her rank and beauty and to Turongo's delight everything seemed to be going splendidly. The welcome and feasting over, he proudly introduced his bride-to-be to the new house he had built for her and the storehouses filled with kumaras chosen to her specifications. Ruaputahanga, being proud and haughty due to her upbringing, scorned the kumaras for their size and scoffed at the smallness of the house, claiming it was insufficient to house and feed her and her entourage. Turongo began to panic.

Right on cue, Whatihua showed up and greeting the beautiful Ruaputahanga offered the services of his larger house to allow Turongo the time to make the necessary corrections to his place. She accepted and went with Whatihua. While there, Whatihua made sure to treat her royally by plying her with the fattest kumaras and the best delicacies from river, forest and sea. He also intimated to her that his brother was like a calabash full of holes, meaning he lacked the ability to be a good host. Before long she became convinced that Whatihua was by far the better provider and turned her heart away from Turongo to become his wife.

It didn't take long for Turongo to see he had been bested yet again. This time, however, was particularly galling and the already strained relationship with his half-brother now hit rock-bottom.

Turongo's heart was broken and his pride sorely dented. He often went to sit on the beach and cry out his laments to the sea. But, after a while he pulled himself together and taking his loss on the chin set out for the Hawkes Bay in search of another famous puhi even more beautiful than Ruaputahanga. Her name was Mahina-a-rangi, the daughter of the great Kahungunu chief, Tuaka.

In a very short time he worked his way into the hearts of Tuaka and his people because not only was he good-looking with an appealing personality, he was also a superb bird hunter, carver, house builder, dancer, and singer. Te Angiangi, Mahina-a-rangi’s mother was so impressed she spoke to her daughter and said, “You should marry Turongo and let him be your lord; he is indeed an industrious food gatherer.” Turongo, for his part had been keeping a careful eye on Mahina-a-rangi and soon fell in love. Not only was she of the best blood in the land, she was also stunningly beautiful and skilled in weaving and other womanly arts. When she danced the poi or played the stick game her movements were deft and graceful, and when she sang the rousing songs of her folk, her eyes flashed and sparkled as she turned her head in a side-long haughty stare; none could match her for perfection of performance. She was irresistible.

While at the Kahungunu pa (village) Tuaka, now with a strong liking for his guest, suggested he take a bride from the tribe before returning to Kawhia. Turongo agreed on the condition he chooses for himself.

Meanwhile, Mahina-a-rangi had given her mother’s words much thought and decided it was good advice, for she had, by this time, fallen for the handsome young Tainui. But she wondered how to tell him of her love without being too forward.

Every evening Turongo would retire to the Whare-puni (the assembly house) for evening talks with the other men. The guest house he lived in was a short distance from the village along a narrow path through some trees. One evening before moonrise, Mahina-a-rangi dressed in her finest woven garments and on her feather cloak sprinkled some of her special perfume made from the raukawa flower. Then, from her door she kept a watchful eye on the assembly house. As soon as Turongo appeared on his way home for the night she hurried across the village courtyard and as if by chance bumped into him in such a way he had to take her in his arms. Startled abruptly from his thoughts, he was about to exclaim something but was cut short by Mahina-a-rangi’s soft lips at his ear and her whispered; “Taku aroha e te tau; taku aroha!” (My love, oh beloved; my love!). Then she tore herself away and vanished into the night before Turongo had a chance to collect his wits. Long into the night he was unable to sleep; the words of the young maiden and the haunting smell of her perfume playing on his mind.

Turongo hoped it was Mahina-a-rangi who had accosted him, and the next day when he spied the village girls sitting together merrily playing tititorea (the stick game), he sidled up to them and acting like a casual spectator, sauntered around the group and passed behind each girl in turn. As he approached Mahina-a-rangi, she became agitated and dropped her sticks. Turongo continued to act casually; he didn’t want to betray his intention because if his accoster was not Mahina-a-rangi he would be bitterly disappointed.

As he came to Mahina-a-rangi he stooped low over the player next to her, pretending to be engrossed in the game but secretly trying to trace the distinctive scent of raukawa. Just as he approached the kneeling Mahina-a-rangi, she became so flustered she dropped the sticks as they were passed to her. Agitated and embarrassed she sprang to her feet and announced she was tired of the game. As she fled from the group she brushed against Turongo, causing his whole being to quiver with delight as the smell of raukawa flower assailed his senses.

For the next few days Turongo was beside himself with joy, and Mahina-a-rangi, her identity now exposed, was more approachable. Desperate to know her true feelings he arranged a secret meeting place where they might talk privately. The time agreed was the following night after the moon had risen.

Turongo arrived at the secret place and waited for his beloved. While he waited he shuddered at the thought that Tuaka would reject a stranger marrying his high-born daughter. Then he thought about how respected he had become and how friendly Tuaka had always been to him. It also went through his mind that he, Turongo, was also a high-born ariki. These thoughts gave him more confidence.

Presently, to his delight, Mahina-a-rangi came running into his embrace and her ardour for him was as strong as his was for her. In breathless ecstasy they clung to each other.

Later in the evening Mahina-a-rangi entered the Whare-puni after Tuaka and other tribal elders had finished talking about the festivities planned for the dedication of a new house Turongo had helped build, and took a seat next to her father. Nestling up to him she let her head slip down onto his lap then looked up at him with her beautiful round eyes.

“What is it?” he softly enquired, after which she poured her heart out to him. Tuaka’s eyes, sparkling with happiness, beamed down on his daughter. Her heart leapt for joy when she knew her choice of husband had found favour with her father.

“Ka ora koe i a Turongo,” (Turongo will cherish you), he said as he instructed her to fetch her husband-to-be. Turongo had been lingering apprehensively outside the Whare-puni and when he entered Tuaka gravely rose from his place and greeted him with hongi (pressed noses) and took him to sit at his right hand, the place of honour for visiting chiefs.

Amid great rejoicing and celebration, Turongo and Mahina-a-rangi were soon married and sometime later he began the long journey back to Kawhia. Mahina-a-rangi would join him at a suitable time in the near future.

There are other versions of the Turongo~Mahina-a-rangi story but this is by far the best one.

Tawhao was delighted by the match and called his two sons together and informed them he was ready to divide his extensive territory in two. Whatihua would have all the lands from the Puniu River (between Te Awamutu and Pirongia) all the way north to Tamaki (Auckland), and Turongo was to take the land south of the Puniu River; the Kopua flats, Kakepuku, then further south to Otorohanga and beyond. This was an important time in Tainui history; it marked the division of the Tainui people into those tribes descending from Turongo (Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Maniapoto to mention two) and those from Whatihua - the Waikato tribes and our own Ngati Hikairo.

Here we leave Turongo who by all accounts successfully managed his affairs and went on to become a renowned chief. He quickly took over his inheritance and set up his headquarters near what is Te Awamutu today and eagerly sent for his wife. It was a good nine months before she set off for Te Awamutu because she was heavily pregnant and gave birth to a son along the way. She named him Raukawa to commemorate the story of her marriage to Turongo. From this son grew the Raukawa tribe. Whatihua also went on to become a prominent chief in his own right, but along the way ran into some serious domestic turbulence.

Whatihua's problems began when he took another wife. Her name was Apakura and she was also a high-born woman sixth in line from the great Ngatoroirangi, the tohunga on the Arawa canoe. From the start there appears to have been some jealousies and animosity between the two women and Whatihua's increasing preference for Apakura over Ruaputahanga wouldn't have helped matters. It all came to a head when Apakura, who had a great fondness for eels, persistently petitioned her husband to keep her well supplied with the best of that fish. It was not easy catching sufficient eels for the tribe and at the same time pleasing his wife with the fattest of those succulent creatures.

There was one solution, however, that would both delight her and keep her well stocked with eel meat for a long time; on a certain bend on the big river was a deep, dark hole in which lived a giant eel that had broken the lines and hooks of everyone that attempted to catch him. So strong was this eel that he had acquired great mana in his own right and had been elevated to the status of taniwha. Whatihua believed that if he could catch this monster not only would he satisfy Apakura, he would also take the mana from the taniwha and elevate his own status among his people. He set about putting his gear together to catch the giant eel.

Now, his second wife, Ruaputahanga, had brought from her home country a powerful talisman for catching eels and other fish. True to his crafty nature Whatihua sneaked into Ruaputahanga's house while she was out and took her talisman. Then, taking his slave, set off in his canoe to lair of the giant eel.

They arrived a day or two later and taking his best hook and strongest line baited up and cast it right into the deepest part of the black hole. Holding the talisman and all the while chanting a call to the taniwha, he waited for the strike. He didn't have long to wait; without warning the line went tight then pulled away with astonishing fury. The taniwha was hooked!

 

Whatihua pulled with all his might and cried to the talisman to keep the line strong and the hook fast. For over two hours the river monster pounded and thrashed about sending geysers of water shooting into the air, until bit-by-bit it began to tire and Whatihua was able to pull it to shore. Exhausted as it was, the eel still fought like a dragon, snarling and snapping at Whatihua with its razor sharp rows of teeth. Whatihua took his axe and beat at the taniwha as it writhed and flung itself at him, trying to wrap itself around his body to drag him into the water. Whatihua knew that if the eel got him into his own element he would win the battle, so he kept out of reach and pulled on the line with all his might until the monster was far away from the river. The eel, desperate to get back into the water, made a frantic dash for the stream, leaving an opening for Whatihua. With a mighty swing of the axe he severed the head of the huge beast. As is the way with eels, for a long time after losing his head he writhed and squirmed and still tried to attack his tormentor. But with his head detached from his body he had no sense of direction and eventually exhausted himself and expired.

Whatihua walked triumphantly into his village and presented Apakura with the prize. Needless to say, she was overwhelmed with joy and when the full tale was told, Whatihua's mana among his people increased exponentially.

Ruaputahanga, though, was suspicious. She wondered how her husband was able to subdue such a monster without some kind of otherworldly help. She went to check her talisman and found it gone. Confronting Whatihua he was forced to admit he had 'borrowed' it. It was an insult and affront too much for the proud Ruaputahanga to bear. Not only had he done the unforgivable by taking her sacred talisman without consent, he had done so to catch a special eel for the other wife - even more unforgivable! She determined in her heart that she would leave for her home country, forthwith.

The next morning before sunrise she packed some food in a kete and taking little Uenukutapu, her youngest son, departed the village. But her departure did not go unnoticed. When one of Whatihua's slaves got up he saw her in the distance hurrying along the beach away from Aotea and quickly alerted his master.

Whatihua immediately set off in pursuit to persuade her to return but her mind was set and spying him coming around Matatua Point she hastened her steps. Whatihua was quickly gaining on her so to buy time she buried little Uenukutapu up to his neck in the sand right on the line of the incoming tide so that Whatihua would be forced to save him. Then, running to the edge of the channel, dived in and swam across to Te Maika.

Whatihua, arriving at the place, found his son and pulled him out of the sand. He was compelled to run back to the village with the baby and by the time he returned the tide was rushing in making it impossible to swim the channel. His only recourse was to take the more circuitous route around the headland, hoping to catch up with his fleeing wife at Marakopa. However, her lead was too great and she arrived long before him and, wanting to have the last say, rested on the high wall overlooking the chasm that separated her from the safety of her home country, to await his arrival. It was believed that in that chasm dwelt a taniwha that lay in wait for any unsuspecting soul to cross and become his meal.

In due course Whatihua arrived, and relieved, spotted his wife and called out to her, pleading with her to return with him. She responded by rising from her seat and diving into the chasm. She was a powerful swimmer so she had no trouble getting across before the taniwha knew she was there.

Whatihua, rushed to the cliff in time to see Ruaputahanga standing on the hill opposite. When he shouted another plea across the chasm, she called back. "Ka-tu-nga-tai-a-Rakeimata-a taniwha-rau; the tide of Rakei-of-a-hundred-eyes has arisen!" Being a poor swimmer and afraid of Rakei, Whatihua could do nothing more than watch Ruaputahanga disappear behind the hill and leave his life forever.

Another version says Ruaputahanga crossed the chasm at low tide when it was shallow. At low tide the taniwha was forced to vacate his premises until the next high tide. By the time Whatihua got there the tide was fully in creating a strong current as the water washed through it. Not only was Whatihua a weak swimmer, he was also aware of the man-eating taniwha that lived there. Whatever version one prefers, the end result was the same; Whatihua lost Ruaputahanga and he had to trudge back to Kawhia, defeated.

Mana was a vital aspect of early Maori life. It might be defined as some kind of spiritual force that some people have which resonates in the souls of those around them. It can be inherited by the circumstances of birth, or it can be gained by meritorious deeds. It might be gained through acts of valour, kindness, hospitality, or in many other ways. Not only human beings but properties and objects such as mauri (life essence) stones, weapons and prized fish hooks could acquire mana; even animals. Mana didn't always differentiate between good and evil. A chief could become a man of immense mana by being cruel and bloodthirsty, or, by being knowledgeable, hospitable, and benevolent. Whatever did the job best acquired mana. But, as quickly as one gained it, one could lose it.

Something as simple as an unavenged insult, a raid gone wrong, or the wrath of a scorned woman had the potential to strip a man of his mana. This must have been the case with Whatihua because after a while he packed up his tribe and moved across the Aotea Harbour to Manuaiti, an elevated plateau overlooking the sea. There he remained until his old age, frequently retiring to a cave set high on a limestone cliff-face. From this favourite spot he could look out across the ocean and enjoy solitude, fresh air and peace. When he died his body was interred there.

It is generally accepted that Whatihua somehow lost his mana, hence his retirement to Manuaiti when he should have become a more dominant force throughout the Kawhia-Waikato regions after the departure of Turongo to the King Country. It is very likely he never recovered from the loss of Ruaputahanga. Another indication of his increasing drop in status as he grew old is the story of a subordinate chief at Manuaiti who subjected him to the ultimate insult by forcing him to walk between his legs while he urinated on his head. This is likely just a story to illustrate how feeble Whatihua had become, because urinating on a chief's head would have been such an intolerable insult that only a mortal enemy would do it and no-one would rest until vengeance had been done; even for a declining chief like Whatihua. 

There is a story that goes with Whatihua's departure from this world of light.

It is said that when the hair on his head grew white with age and his end was imminent, he was seen walking to the edge of the cliff above his cave. Suddenly, he leaped from the precipice to plummet to his death. The people rushed to where he disappeared but they could not see out far enough to view the bottom so they rushed to the path going down and searched in vain for his body. Wailing in sorrow, they returned to the pa on the plateau. A little while later, his body was discovered in his cave, reposing peacefully and dressed in his finest raiment.

It was a miracle that gave Whatihua a departure befitting a great chief.

Written by David Bell

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