Te kēhua o Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Nā Te Upokowhakamutunga
He whakarāpopoto
This is a poem about the ghost that lives in the hills of Wellington. It has been cleverly written using personification to describe the behaviours of this so called ghost which is in fact the beautiful winds of Tāwhirimātea.
He whatu pānui
Hei tautoko i te kaipānui
- Illustrations support the text.
Kia mataara!
- Introduces a host of new vocabulary.
- The poetic writing style may be a challenge for some students.
- Some of the vocabulary of the text may not be within the reading experience of students at this level.
He kete kupu
Please ensure that your students are familiar with the words in this 'He kete kupu' and are able to use them confidently.
| āwhā | strong gales |
| hāmeme | murmuring |
| hamumu | muttering |
| huhuti | plucking |
| huripari | fierce winds |
| kēhua | ghost |
| kōhengi | light wind |
| matangi | gentle breeze |
| ngawī | howling |
| ngunguru | mumbling |
| patupaiarehe | fairy |
| taniwha | monster |
| tioro | screeching |
| tipua | demon |
| tuki | battering |
| tūkino | flattening |
| whiowhio | whistling |
Hei whakaihiihi
- Introduce example of poems to the students. The resource Ngā Waiata Mā te Katoa has some excellent examples to choose.
- Discuss the nature of the language used. You may like to ask the students for words that describe different sounds or movement.
Hei whakatā
- Read the first section of the poem. Talk about the different mystical characters mentioned in the poem. Ask the students if they know of any others they may have seen in movies or pictures.
- Continue reading on. Discuss with the students what has changed in the way the poem has been written in this section. What type of language is being used to describe this ghost? Is it really a ghost?
Hei wānanga
- Write the words 'Hamumu', 'Hāmeme', 'Whiowhio', and 'Tioro', down on a large sheet of paper. Talk to the students about what these words might mean. Practise how they might sound. Use role-play to allow students to express themselves.
- Discuss why the poem changes from describing the different mystical beings to descriptive movement and the language of sound.
Hei mahi kē atu
- Write a weather report using some of the words used in the poem.
- List three interesting words like, 'āwhā', 'huripari' or 'matangi' and describe each one in two to three sentences.
- Rewrite the selected words in a creative way 'huripari' could be written like the shape of a tornado.
- Read further information about the wind and how it can generate energy. Refer to He Mana Tō Te Hau in the 'He Purapura' series for basic information about the wind turbine.
Hei mahi
As a follow up activity ask the students to work in pairs to research the different types of winds. Create a mobile which emphasises the different winds. Cut them into shapes of clouds, or lightning bolts and hang five words that describe their wind from it.
