Haere rā Kararaina
Nā Ohomauri Stewart
I taku rongona kua mate a Kararaina, ka hopu ahau i taku uma. Auē, e hika mā! Ko Caroll pea tēnei kua mate nei. (Ko tōna ingoa Pākehā tērā). I heke mai a Kararaina i ngā kāwai tāngata o Tūwhakairiora o Te Araroa. Ka moe a ia i tōna hoa rangatira o Mangatū, o Te Aitanga ā Māhaki. Ki tōku mōhio tokowhitu ā rāua tamariki, tokowhā he tāne, tokotoru he wāhine. Ka moe tā māua tamāhine pakeke ki tā rāua mātāmua, ko Raymond tōna ingoa. Koia rā te tūhonohonotanga a ngā whānau nei.
Ka puta taku aroha mō Kararaina, nōtemea i kaha tonu a ia ki te whawhai i tōna mate. Ko tōna mate nui kē hoki, arā i te tapahitanga a ngā tākuta i tōna tuarā, toru tekau mā iwa ngā tuituitanga o tōna tuarā. Kāore tonu a ia i ora. E rua tekau tau kē a ia e haere ana mā runga i tōna waka tūru.
Ahakoa te kopakopa o Kararaina, ka kaha tonu a ia ki te whakauru i a ia anō ki roto i ngā whakataetae a te rōpū kopakopa. Me te aha koa hoki, ka toa a ia i roto i ētahi o ngā whakataetae. E rua ōna mētara hiriwa, me te mētara koura, me te nui hoki o ōna tiwhikete mō ngā tau i uru atu ai a ia ki roto i ēnei tūmomo whakataetae.
Ka pā mai te aroha ki a mātou katoa, ngā whanaunga, ngā hoa, me ana tamariki i te wā e whanga ana kia hoki mai a ia ki roto i tōna whare. Nō te hauwhā mai i te toru a ia i whakahokia mai kia takoto i roto i tōna whare mō tētahi pō, ā, ka haria ai a ia ki Mangatū ki te takoto i Te Poho o Te Ngāwari, koia rā hoki te ingoa o te wharenui o tērā marae.
I taua pō, ka whakaekehia tōna whare i te tangata. I haere mai te manuhiri i ngā wāhi katoa o te whenua. Nā ngā kaumātua o te hāhi o Kararaina i whakahaere te karakia o te pō. I moemoe katoa mātou i te taha o Kararaina i taua pō. Ētahi o mātou i moe noho tū, engari ka pai hoki tā mātou noho tahi.
Nō te toru karaka ahau ka oho ki te kaukau māku, nōtemea i whakaritea mō te runa karaka ka hiki ai a Kararaina ki Mangatū. Nō te hau rua mai i te whā, ka whakahaerehia te karakia. Nō muri mai ka taupokihia te kāwara o te pouaka o Kararaina ki runga i a ia.
Ko tētahi o ngā whakarite kia peka atu a Kararaina ki te marae o Parihimanihi, ki reira takoto atu ai mo tētahi wā poto nei, otirā ki te whakatau noa atu notemea i rō hōhipera hoki rāua tahi ko Lexy e okioki ana. Ko rāua tahi rā wēnei, ko te ika hui rua o te mate e rūpeke tahi nei ki tua o te paerau.
Ko te kōkā nei a Lexy, nō ngā kāwai o Te Aitanga ā Māhaki o te Waihīrere. I hinga tahi rāua ko Kararaina i te rā kotahi. Koia nei i whakaarohia ai kia takoto tahi rāua mō tēnei wā poto ka hiki ai a Kararaina ki te marae i takoto ai tōna hoa rangatira a Ray ki Mangatū. Ki taku mōhio toru tekau ngā motoka me ngā whanaunga huhua hoki i whai ake i muri i te waka hari i a Kararaina ki Mangatū.
Nō tō mātou taenga atu ki te marae, e whanga ana mai te iwi o taua marae ki a mātou. Te ātaahua hoki o ngā kōrero i puta ake i runga i te marae mō te wahine nei, a Kararaina. Ko ngā poroporoaki hoki mōna, i puta mai i roto i ngā whaikōrero, ka aroha kē. Nō muri o te whakatau, ka karangahia mātou ki te whakanoa, ki te rūrū, ki te haere tonu atu ki te kai. Engari kia horoi rānō mātou i o mātou ringaringa, ka haere mātou ki te kai. E hika mā, te reka kē hoki o te parakuihi.
I taua rā katoa, ka eke tonu mai te manuhiri me ōna whanaunga ki te mau mai i ō rātou pare kawakawa, roimata, aroha, ki runga i a Kararaina. Nō te kaha paku rawa o te wharenui, ka karakia mātou i taua pō i waho. Ka tika tonu natemea kāore pea mātou katoa e uru atu ki roto i te whare. Nō te mutunga o ngā kōrero o te pō, ka mahia e ngā wāhine ā mātou moenga ki runga i te whatitoka o te whare. Tino kino hoki te wera o taua pō, engari ka pai hoki ta mātou moe.
Moata ana taku ohotanga ake i te ata nōtemea, e whakahokia ana a Kararaina ki te whare karakia i te tāone. I te whitu karaka tonu, ka hiki tā mātou tūpāpaku. Ka whakatangihia te pere ki te karakia, i mua i te taupokitanga i te kawara. Nā te taokete tonu a Kararaina i whakahaere te karakia. Ko te haerenga mai tērā o te whānau ki te poroporoaki ki tō rātou māmā, whaea, kōkā, tipuna karangatanga maha. Nō te mutunga o ngā mea katoa, ka whakaekea a ia ki runga i tōna motokā i muri. Ka tau mā tōna hunaonga a ia i whakahoki ki tōna whare karakia i Mangapapa.
Ko te tekau karaka te wā hei tīmatanga te karakia, ā, nā tōna hāhi Mōmona a ia i karakia. Kikī ana te whare karakia, puhake ana ngā tāngata ki roto i te hōro. I te mutunga o te karakia me te whakarongo hoki ki ngā reo reka e waiata mai ana i ngā hīmene, ka kawea a ia ki runga anō i tōna waka ki te whakahoki anō ki Mangatū ki te taha o tōna hoa rangatira i a Raymond. Tino kino te wera o te rā i tō mātou taenga ki te urupā. I reira ētahi o te whānau e whanga mai ana. I te wā o te karakia nehu, ka āmai tētahi wahine. Āe, tino kino te wera o te rā. Kāore ahau i makere atu i waho i tōku waka. Ka oti pai te nehu, ka hoki mātou katoa ki te marae. Ko te kōrero mai a te iwi kāinga ki a mātou mā te pere mātou e pōwhiri atu ki runga i te marae, me te haere tika tonu atu ki roto i te whare.
Ko te tangata whenua i te tara whāiti e noho ana, ka whakanohohia mātou i te tara whānui. Nā tētahi o ngā tohunga Ringatū mātou i karakia, ā, nā Charlie Ritehia i whakatuwhera ngā kōrero whakatau i te wharemate. I haere ngā kōrero mai i te tara whāiti ki te tuarongo o te whare, ka hoki ake ki te putanga auahi i te tara whānui o te whare, whakaoti ai.
Mutu ana ā mātou kōrero, puta mai ana te karanga a ngā ringa wera ki te rā. Ko te whare mate i haere atu i te tuatahi me te whaitanga atu o ngā manuhiri. Ahakoa te wera o te rangi, he tino pai rawa atu ngā kai, nga tēpu hākari a Kararaina.
Mutu ana te kai, ka haere ētahi o mātou ki te kāinga o Kararaina whanga atu ai ki nga tamariki kia hoki mai. Nō tō r ātou taenga mai, ka pōwhiritia atu mātou kia kuhu mai ki roto i te whare. Nā Rakati i whakahaere he karakia i roto i te whare. Ka whakahaerehia ngā mihi ki a mātou katoa.
Me mihi hoki ki te whānau a Toko Te Kani, me tōna hoa rangatira i a Rawinia, mō ngā manaaki i hoatutia e rāua ki te whānau pani a Kararaina. I whakatuwheratia mai tō rāua kāinga hei whāngai i ngā manuhiri, i te whānau pani hoki, i te kai. Nō reira e Toko, ka nui ngā mihi ki a koe. Mā te Atua koutou katoa e manaaki.
Haere rā Kararaina, e kore koe e warewaretia.