A te wiriwiri
Nā Peti Nohotima
Nā Miranda Witford ngā pikitia
Kei te maumahara tonu au i taku eke tuatahitanga i a Te Wiriwiri. Ko te hōiho hoki tēnei o Hare. He tino hoa a Hare rāua ko taku tungāne ko Te Kauru. Tekau mā tahi tau taku pakeke i taua wā.
Ki au, he mea tino mīharo tēnei, nātemea e mate kanehe ana au ki a Hare. Ahakoa, kāre a Hare e aro mai ki au. Hei aha atu hoki. Ki ōku whakaaro, nātemea nōna tēnei hōiho a Te Wiriwiri, mā te aha i tēnei.
"E piki e Rui," te kī mai a taku tungāne. "Kāre koe e ngaua e Te Wiriwiri. "Eke atu ana au ki runga i a Te Wiriwiri kua tīmata tonu te hōiho nei ki te wiwiri. "Kei te pai e Rui, kaua e mataku. Heoi anō tāu mahi, he ketekete atu, ka kōrero atu. Kia mau tonu te pupuri i ngā reina, engari, ahakoa pēhea, kaua rawa e kikia e koe," te ki mai a Te Kauru.
Ehara, kua tauna haere ahau ki te eke i a Te Wiriwiri. Nāwai, nāwai, e, kua toitoi tōku hōiho. Harakoa ana au i taku mōhio kei te mātaki mai a Hare. Uru mai ana tētahi whakaaro whakaparana ki au. Wareware katoa ngā tohutohu mai a Te Kauru ki au. Papaki ana ōku waewae i a Te Wiriwiri.
"Auē e hika e!" Tata tonu au ka taka i te ohorere o te tū o tōku hōiho. Mahue te haere whakamua ka hoki whakamuri haere kē. I konā au kipakipa ai mā ōku waewae, ka tere kē atu te haere whakamuri a Te Wiriwiri.
"Kaua e kipakipatia," te tīwaha mai a Hare. Ko taku tungāne kei reira kē e pakaru mai ana te kata, me te papaki i tōna waewae. Whakamā katoa ahau i te mahi a Te Wiriwiri.
Wōū e Wi! Kāti! E tū!" te kī mai a Hare. Mau tonu te tū o Te Wiriwiri. Nō taku hekenga mai i te hōiho nanakia nei, ka kī mai taku tungāne.
"He pēnā tonu ngā hōiho o te whānau nei. Me āta ako anō e rātou kia mahi hanariki o rātou hoiho. Ētahi o ō rātou hōiho ka paoa ana ki te rākau, kua noho. Ētahi ka kipainga ana, kua hoki whakamuri," me te kata anō a taku tungāne.
Ka titiro atu au ki a Te Wiriwiri pēnei tonu i te mea nei kei te kata hoki tēnā hoiho nanakia. Otirā, nātemea nō Hare tēnei hōiho ka whakaaro ahau ahakoa pēhea, ka whakaratarata atu au ki te hōiho o taku manawa.
I taua wā, kua tae mai ō mātou uri mai i Pamutana, ki tō mātou kāinga i Ruatoki mō ngā hararei o te Akuhata. Ko taku kōkā ko Kōhine me āna tamariki, ko Mātiria, ko Te Kapua me Raiha. E rua tau te pakeke ake o Mātiria i au. He rite tonu ō māua pakeke ko Te Kapua. Ko Raiha te pekepoho o te whānau. I reira tonu ahau e mirimiri ana i a Te Wiriwiri, ka kite atu au i ōku karanga tuatahi e hīkoi mai ana.
"Haramai ki konei, kia tūtaki kōrua ki taku tino hoa," te kī atu a Te Kauru. "E hoa, e Hare, anei ō mātou uri mai Pamutana. Ko taku tuahine tēnei ko Mātiria me taku taina ko Te Kapua. Ko Hare tēnei."
"Tēnā kōrua," te mihi atu a Hare.
"Hi," te whakautu a Mātiria. Ko Te Kapua kāre i kōrero, ko te hiki noa iho o ōna tukemata. Maumau ana i au a Hare e kōiraira ana ki a Mātiria. Ka tipu te hae i roto i tōku puku.
"Hi Rui," te kī mai a Mātiria ki au. "What's wrong? Don't you know how to ride that nag?"
"He mōhio tonu au ki te eke i a Te Wiriwiri," taku whakahoki me taku pukuriri anō. Nāwai ia i kī kia whakaparahako ki a Te Wiriwiri. Tūtū ana ngā taringa o Te Wiriwiri.
"Here, I'll show you how to ride," te kīmai a Mātiria. "Mati, I don't think you should," te kī atu a Te Kapua ki tōna tuahine. "You know what Mum said."
"Oh don't worry. This is just a farm-horse and you know I've ridden better-looking horses than this."
Aroha atu ana au ki a Hare. Pōuri mai ana te āhua o Hare i ēnei kōrero.
"Kai te pai e hoa," te kī atu a Te Kauru ki a Te Kapua. "Waiho tō tuahine kia eke i a Te Wiriwiri. He pono tana kōrero. He hōiho pāmu noa iho a Te Wiriwiri."
Kei runga a Mātiria i a Te Wiriwiri. Ka tau kē hoki.
Torotika tonu atu te noho a Mātiria. Nāna tana mahi. Pai ana hoki te tarahati haere o Te Wiriwiri engari, kei te tūtūtonu ōna taringa.
"Give me a stick Kapu, I want to see how fast he can go," te kī atu a Mātiria ki tana tungāne.
"Better not sis, you don't know this horse."
"Anei e Mati," te kī atu a taku tungāne, a Te Kauru. "Kia kaha tonu te kiki. He māngere hōnia te hōiho nei."
Tata tonu au ki te huaki i taku waha ki te whakatūpato atu ī a Mātiria, ka keko mai taku tungāne me Hare. Auē! Mōhio ana ahau he raruraru kei te haere. Kua uru te whakaaro hanariki ki ngā tokorua nei.
Kātahi a Mātiria ka ketekete me te kiki i a Te Wiriwiri. Ana nā! Hoki whakamuri kē ana a Te Wiriwiri. I te kaha ohorere o Mātiria, tata tonu ka whiua.
"Kikia! Kia kaha te kiki," te whakahau atu a Te Kauru.
Pakepakē ana ngā waewae o Mātiria ki a Te Wiriwiri. Hukehuke ana te hoki whakamuri a Te Wiriwiri. Kua kore e taea e māua ko taku uri. Pakepakē ana tā māua kata me tā māua awhi anō i a māua. Kei reira anō hoki a Hare e kata ana engari paku noa iho tana kata. Putē tonu ngā karu o Mātiria i tōna kore mōhio me pēhea e ia a Te Wiriwiri. I taku mōhio, kātahi anō ia ka eke i tētahi hōiho pērā. Ka oma atu taku tungāne ki te whakatū i a Te Wiriwiri.
"E tū! Wōū! E tū!"
No te hekenga mai o Mātiria, kua tata kē te auē. Rahua katoa a Mātiria.
"Stupid horse!" te whiu atu a Mātiria ki a Te Wiriwiri. Engari ki au, koinei te tino hōiho i te ao.