Ko Tāwhaki, te tohunga rapu tuna
Nā Sidney Mead
I tētahi ahiahi, ka whakaaro a Tāwhaki rātou ko ōna hoa me haere rātou ki te rapu tuna i ngā awaawa o Parahaki. I mua i tō rātou haerenga, ka mea a Tāwhaki ki a Te Tomo māna e mau te hinaki, mā Tame e mau ngā rama. Ka whakaemihia ā rātou mea, ka haere. I te taenga ki te awa, ka waiho i te hinaki me ngā rama. Ka mea atu a Tāwhaki, "Me huna ā tātou mea, kei kitea e ngā whānako o Parahaki!" Ka hunaia ngā mea nei, ka haere rātou ki te rapu tuna. Ko te awa nei, ko te Waiau te ingoa.
Ka heke rātou ki roto i te wai. Kāore tonu i roa e whāwhā haere ana a Te Tomo, ka ngaua tōna ringaringa e tētahi mea, ka aue te waha. "Auē! e hoa mā! He taniwha kei konei. Kia tere mai, kei motu taku ringa!"
Ka oma a Tāwhaki rāua ko Tame. Ka mea a Tame, "Taihoa, māku e kimi te aronga ki te waero."
Ka karanga a Tawhaki, "Kia tere - werohia mai ki te rākau kia puta mai ai te māhunga. Māku e whakatika atu te pīhuka hei hopu." Ka mea atu a Te Tomo, "Kia teretere e hoa mā. Taea rawa ake te tuna nei, kua pau ke tētahi wahi o taku ringa te kai!"
Ka patai atu a Tāwhaki mehemea kei te mamae anō. Ka whakahoki a Te Tomo, "Tēnā iana, haria mai tōu ringa ki roto ki te waha, kia mōhio ai koe he mamae rānei, kahore rānei!"
I te werohanga mai a Tame, ohorere ana te tuna, ka makere mai te ringa o Te Tomo, ka puta mai te māhunga ki waho. Ka rere atu a Tāwhaki ki te pīhuka. I tōna mataku, mau kē ana te pīhuka ki te rākau, ka hoki anō te tuna ki tana rua. Ka kī atu a Te Tomo ki a ia, "E tama, kāore ō take. Hōmai ki a au te pīhuka na. Anā, werohia mai anō!" Ka werohia mai, ka puta anō te tuna. Kātahi ka pīhukatia e Te Tomo, ka mau, ka mea ia, "E koe! E koe! Tēnā e ngau anō i taku ringa!" Ka tīwaha atu ia ki a Tāwhaki kia mauria mai he rākau hei patu.
Ka mea a Tāwhaki, "E hoa, e mahara ana ahau he taniwha te mea nā. Kite rawa ake ahau, he punua noa iho!" Heoi, ka mau te tuna nei, ka rapu haere anō rātou. Ko Ngāheu kei mua e rapu haere ana, kāore i te aro ake ki ōna hoa. E toru kē ngā tuna rarahi kua mau i a ia. Ka rapu ngā taitama nei, ka rapu, ā ka tino ahiahi, ka hoki ki te kāinga o Tāwhaki. I reira ka whakairihia ā rātou tuna e ono. Ka mea a Tāwhaki kia mutu tā rātou kai ka haere ai ratou ki te tuku i te hīnaki, ki te rama hoki.
Mutu kau ana te kai, ka puta a Tāwhaki ki waho, ka haere ki te whare o ā rātou heihei. Ahakoa tōna mataku i te heihei, ka hopukia e ia tētahi, ka wiria te kakī. Tae rawa ake a Te Tomo rātou ko Ngāheu ko Tame, kua kā te ahi a Tawhaki, ā, e hunuhunu ana i ngā parirau.
Ka kī a Tame ki a Tāwhaki, "E hoa, te reka hoki o te haunga o te mea nā!"
Ka whakahoki a Tāwhaki, "E kī, kei te matekai tonu koe! E hoki ki te tēpu ki te whakakī i tō puku. Mā ngā tuna kē tēnei kai, ehara māu!"
Ka mea ake a Ngāheu, "Koina te hē o te pukukai, ahakoa pēhea te kai, kāore rawa e ngata te hiahia."
Ka āhua pukuriri a Tame i tēnei kōrero, ka karanga ia, "Kaua koe e kōrero, he nanakia tonu koe ki te kai."
Ka kī a Tāwhaki, "Kāti noa te kōrero e hoa mā. Haere tatou ki te tuku i tā tātou hīnaki."
Haere ana ngā taitama nei, ka tae ki te wāhi i hunaia ai ā rātou taputapu. I reira ka kuhua te māunu ki roto i te hīnaki, ka herea te taupoki, ana ka whakatikahia e rātou te rohe. Ka mea a Ngāheu, "Kei a au tētahi wāhi pai hei tuku i tā tātou hīnaki."
Ka pātai a Tāwhaki, "Kei hea tēnā poka? Kia pai tonu tēna wāhi. Ko taku hiahia hoki kia kī tonu tā tātou hīnaki i te tuna mōmona." Ka whakahoki a Ngāheu, "Ā, he tino poka tēnei nō ngā koroua o mua." Ka mea a Tāwhaki, "Hōmai māku e tuku. Haere koutou ki te tahu ahi mō ngā rama."
Ka whakaae ngā hoa, ka haere, ka waiho mā Tāwhaki e tuku.
Kāore i roa ka herea e ia ngā taura o te hīnaki ki te rākau hei pupuri, kia kore ai e tere. Oma ana ia ki te whai i ona hoa.
Ko a rātou rama, he taea motoka i topea, a, i herea ki te rakau hei piritanga. I te mea kāore anō kia tino pōuri, ka noho rātou ki te taha o tā rātou ahi kōrerorero ai.
Heoi, ka tino pōuri, ka tahuna ārātou rama, ka mau ki ārātou pīhuka, ka haere ki te awa. ka auē a Tāwhaki ki a Te Tomo, "Anā e hoa! Anā tētahi e haere atu ana. Pīhukatia!!"
Ka rere atu a Te Tomo ki te pīhuka, ka hinga, he mania nō ngā kōhatu.Anā, mākū katoa, ka weto tana rama!
Kua rere atu hoki a Tāwhaki ki te hopu i te tuna nei; hinga ana ki runga i a Te Tomo. Tata mate ana a Tame rāua ko Ngāhue i te katanga ki ō rāua hoa.
Ka mea a Tame ki a rāua, "E hoa mā, e mahara ana ahau i haere mai tātou ki te rama tuna. Titiro ki a kōrua e kaukau nā. Kua mataku katoa ngā tuna i a kōrua."
Ka tū ake a Tāwhaki, ka mea, "Turituri, e tama. Tēnā hōmai tō rama hei tahu anō i tāku."
I te kānga, ka tahuri anō rātou ki te rama. Kāore i roa, ka mau tētahi tuna tino nui i a Ngāhue. Ka rama rātou, , waenganui pō noa. Ka hoki rātou ki te moe.
I te ata pō tonu, ka maranga a Tāwhaki ki te whakaoho i ōna hoa, kia haere rātou ki te
tō i te hīnaki ki uta.
Ka mea atu a Ngāhue, "E tama, e hoki ki te moe. Taihoa tā tātou hinaki."
Ko Tāwhaki kei te rika katoa kia tirohia te hīnaki. Ka kī atu ia ki a Ngāheu, "Maranga e hoa! Kī tonu te hinaki i te tuna, kāore e taea e ahau te tō. Tērā pea mā te hōiho rānō
ka taea."
Ka mea a Ngāheu, "E hoa, kei te wairangi kē ō mahara. Me pēhea koe e mōhio ai e hia ngā tuna? Taihoa tēnā hīnaki. E hoki ki te moe."
Karanga atu ana a Tāwhaki, "He tino tika taku kōrero nei. Haere mai, maranga mai!"
Ka hōhā a Ngāheu, ka maranga, ka haere rāua ki te awa.
Ka kī anō a Tāwhaki, "Ki taku mōhio, kāore e taea e taua te hiki. I taku moemoeā hoki, e rua kē ngā hōiho hei kukume mai, ka taea."
Ka mea a Ngāheu, "E hoa! koia kē nā te take e rika nā koe ki te titiro i tā tātou hīnaki - nā te moemoeā! Tērā pea kei te hē katoa to moemoeā!"
Ka mea anō a Tāwhaki, "Nā te kaha mārama o taku moemoeā, kei te tino mōhio ahau he tuna kei roto."
Ka tae rāua ki te tukunga, ka tahuri ki te tō mai i te hīnaki. Ka mea a Ngāheu, "Te taumaha hoki! Ākuanei kei te tika tonu tō moemoeā."
Ka kukume rāua, ā, ka rewa. Anā, mām noa iho! I mau kē ki te rākau. Puta mai ana te hīnaki, ka titiro a Ngāheu, ka mea, "E hoa, titiro! He aha kē tēnei mahi au ki tā tātou hīnaki, ana kei te huri muri kē? Tino hē rawa atu koe. Me pēhea e mau ai he tuna? Whakarongo, me pēnei ke. Tukua te pito māunu ki te ia, ko te waha o te hīnaki ki raro!"
Ka kumea mai te hīnaki ki rāhaki, ka tirohia. Kāore kau ana he tuna, tino kore nei!
Ka huri a Tāwhaki, ā, nā te tino kaha o tana pōuri, me te pukuriri ki a ia anō, ka hoki taumaha ia ki te kāinga. Ka pā mai te aroha ki a Ngaheu mō tōna hoa, mō Tawhaki, "te tohunga rapu tuna".