He kōrero mō Whakaari
Nā Ngāti Awa
Nā Evelyn Clouston ngā pikitia
Ko te tangata nei a Te Tahi-o-te-rangi, he tohunga nō Ngāti-Awa o Whakatāne. He tino tohunga tēnei ki te karakia, whakaora mate, patu hoki i te tangata mā te mākutu. Nō te mea he tokomaha tonu ngā tāngata i mate i tana mana mākutu, ka mataku katoa ngā iwi o Whakatane i a ia.
He whare raupō te whare o taua tangata nei, e tū ana i te taha o tētahi toka, kāore i tino tawhiti rawa atu i waho o te tāone o Whakatāne e tū nei ināianei. Ko te toka nei tana tūāhu. Ki te haere ia ki taua toka, mōhio tonu ngā tāngata ki te pūtake o tana haere - he mahi mākutu - ka noho mataku ngā tāngata. Ko ngā mea katoa e pā ana ki taua toka nei, he tapu katoa; he pū harakeke hoki e tipu ana i roto i tētahi whārua i runga i taua toka.
Nā, i tētahi rā ka whakaaro ngā tāngata o Whakatāne ki te whakamate i taua tohunga. Engari ka whakaarotia, kia kaua e whakamatea mā te patu, engari me hari ki tētahi wāhi waiho ai ko ia anake, kia riro ma te mokemoke e patu. Ka whakaaro ngā tāngata, "Me pēwhea rā?" Kātahi ka kitea tētahi whakaaro, ka karangatia tētahi hui.
I taua hui nei, ka whakatakotoria he pēwheatanga mō Te Tahi, ka oti. Whakaae katoa ana me haere ki Whakaari ki te hopu tītī hei kai mā rātou. He kai pai hokina, he mōmona, he hinuhinu, he reka ki te korokoro Māori. Kātahi ka tonoa atu ki a Te Tahi kia haere hei karakia, kia maha ai ngā manu e mau. Whakaae atu ana a Te Tahi, engari kāore i mōhio ake ko ia kē te tino take o tēnei haerenga.
Ka utaina ngā waka, ka rere tika ki Whakaari. Ū ana ngā waka, ka wehewehea ngā rōpū; ka haere tēnei i tāna haere, ka haere tērā i tāna. Ka meatia kia whai a Te Tahi i te rōpū e haere ana ki te taha tawhiti o te moutere. Ka tae, ka tīmata ki te mahi, ki te hopu tītī. Mahi noa, nāwai rā, ka puta mai te matemoe ki a Te Tahi. Kātahi ia ka takoto, ka kī ake ki ōna hoa, "Kaua rā e wareware ki te whakaoho mai i a au."
Ka whakahoki ngā hoa, "Kaua e māharahara, mā mātou koe e whakaoho."
Moe ana te kaumātua nei, moe nei, moe nei. Oho rawa ake ia i te ata, ka tirotiro haere, kua ngaro kē ōna hoa. Kātahi ia ka kārangaranga haere. Kāore he whakahoki mai. Mōhio tonu ia kua whakarērea ia e ōna hoa. Ko tōna riringa tēnei. Tere tonu tana oma ki runga i tētahi toka, ka toro ōna ringa ki te moana, ka karanga ki a Tangaroa, ki ngā taniwha o te moana.
Ka karakia ia i ngā karakia mō ngā taniwha moana. Ehara, kāore i roa, ka puta mai tētahi kīrehe pango, e kanapa haere mai ana i te wai. He tohorā taua kīrehe nei, ko Tūtara-kauika tonu, te rangatira o ngā tohorā katoa. Kātahi a Te Tahi ka heke atu ki tātahi, ka kauhoe atu ki taua tohorā e tatari mai rā ki a ia. Ka tae atu ia, ka pā atu ki te taha o te ika rā, ka whakatotohu te ika rā i a ia anō, ka eke atu a Te Tahi ki runga.
Kātahi ka ahu tika a Tūtara ki Whakatāne, pāhuka ana te moana i te tere o tana haere. Mahue mai ana ngā waka e hari rā i ngā tāngata, nāna nei i tinihanga a Te Tahi. I te taenga atu ki te ngutuawa o Whakatāne, ka heke a Te Tahi, ka karakia whakamoemiti, ka kauhoe ki tētahi toka e karangatia ana ināianei ko Rukupō.
Ka tae ki Rukupō, ka whakangā, ka kauhoe anō i te awa o Whakatāne, tae noa ki uta, ki te wāhi e tū nei te whare nei, a Wairaka. Tae rawa mai ngā tāngata i runga i o rātou waka, e noho atu ana a Te Tahi, ka puta mai te whakamā ki a rātou mō tā rātou mahi kino ki a ia.