Te mahi kohikohi kānga a Heramia
Nā Hirini Moko o Tūhoe
Nā Kathleen Brown ngā pikitia
Ā te ahiahi ka purei a Rangitāiki ki a Rotorua. He whutupōro tino nui tēnei ki Te Teko. I te wiki i mua atu, he whutupōro anake te kōrero.
"Kei te haere koe ki te whutupōro?"
"A wai? Ahau?"
"Ka wini i a wai?"
"E, ko Rangitāiki rā ka wīni. Kāre he take o Rotorua!"
"He pāuna ka wīni i a Rotorua."
"E rua pāuna ka wīni i a Rangitāiki."
"E pēhea ana te tangata a Te Teko?"
E tama ka mapua e ia tōna hoariri. Ka kite koe!"
I te ata o tēnei rā, ka kī atu te matua o Heramia ki a ia, "E hoa, me haere koe ki te pēke i ā tātau kānga, ka mau ai ki te whata."
Ka whakaaro a Heramia, "ko Heramia tēnei e tonoa nei ki te mahi kānga e tōna pāpā. Ko aku hoa kei te moe tonu i roto i ō rātau moenga mahana. Āte ahiahi, ka haere rātau ki te whutupōro, ko ahau ka mahi i waenga kānga. Kāre e oti te mahi nei i a au ā te ahiahi. Mutu rawa atu, kua mutu hoki te whutupōro."
Ka haere a Heramia ki te whare o te tarakihana. I reira hoki ngā pēke, ka utaina ki runga ki te kōneke i muri i te tarakihana. Ka piki ia ki runga o te tarakihana, ka haruru mai. Haere atu ana ia ki waenga kānga, ka tīmata ki te mahi.
Ko ngā kānga nei, kua oti te whakawhāiti, heoi anō tāna, he kohi, ka puru ki roto i ngā pēke. Ka titiro a Heramia, aue! te nui o te kānga! E hia mirione e takoto mai ana, ka riro mā te tangata kotahi, māna mā Heramia, hei kohikohi. Ki te titiro atu, he maha ake ngā kanga nei i nga whetū i te rangi, he nui ake i ngā ika o te moana, he nui ake i ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa. Ko wai rā te taewaru, nāna i hōmai ki te ao tēnei mea a te kānga.
Ka tūpou a Heramia ki raro, ka tāhuri ki te whakakī i te pēke tuatahi, Ka tahi, ka rua, ka toru . . . ka toru tekau mā ono, ka toru tekau mā whitu . . . he kānga, he kānga, he kānga! Ka kī tēnā pēke tuatahi, ko te tuarua ināianei. Ka kī, ka utaina ki runga ki te kōneke, e rua kua mutu.
Ka mahi a Heramia, ā, ka kī te kōneke, ka mauria ki te whata. Ka hoki mai anō, ka tīmata te whakakī pēke. Ka whakaaro ia, he pai ake mehemea he pōhara tōna pāpā, kāore he kau, he whare miraka, he tarakihana, he kānga. Mehemea hoki kāore he taonga, kāore he mahi, ā, kua tae ia ki te whutupōro ā te ahiahi. Ka titiro anō ia ki ngā kānga, te nui hoki, he nui ake i ngā rākau o ngā ngāherehere, ka riro mā te tangata kotahi, māna mā Heramia e kohi.
I a ia e mahi ana, ka tīwaha mai tētahi o ōna hoa, ko Hōri te ingoa, "Kei te mahi koe Heramia? Kāre koe e haere ana ki te matakitaki whutupōro?"
Ka whakahoki a Heramia, "Kei te mahi ahau. Kāre pea ahau e tae ki te whutupōro." Ka kata atu a Hōri ki a Heramia, ka haere i tana haere, ki te whutupōro. Ka noho a Heramia ki te kohikohi kānga.
Ka puta mai anō tetahi o ōna hoa i runga hōiho. Ko Takapau tōna ingoa. Ka ui, "E mahi ana koe? Kāore koe e haere ana ki te whutupōro? " Ka whakahoki a Heramia, "Kāre ahau e pīrangi ana ki te haere." Ka haere a Takapau mā runga i tana hōiho ki te whutupōro, ka noho a Heramia ki te kohikohi kānga.
Pōuri ana te ngākau o Heramia. Ko tana hiahia kia haere ia ki te whutupōro ki te taha o ōna hoa. Ka mahi ia, ngenge ana tōna āhua.
Ka whakaaro ia, "kāre tēnei e tika ana. Kāre e tika kia haere ona hoa ki te whutupōro, ko ia e noho ki te kohikohi kānga. Mehemea i haria mai e tōna pāpā ētahi kaimahi hei mahi i te mahi nei, kāre e roa ka mutu. Āe, me utu he tangata hei kohikohi i ngā kānga. Kāre e roa ka mutu, ka wātea ia ki te haere ki te whutupōro.'
Ka whakaaro ia, ka whakaaro, a ka puta mai te māramatanga ki a ia. Ka āhua māmā tōna ngākau, ka haere tōna ngenge, ka kaha tona manawa ki te mahi.
I muri o te tina, ka timata anō a Heramia ki te kohi kānga. Ka puta mai anō tētahi o ōna hoa, ko Harehare te ingoa. Ka tīwaha atu a Heramia, "E pēhea ana koe, Harehare? " Ka whakahoki tērā, "E i, kei te pai."
Ka mea atu anō a Heramia, "Kei te nui te herengi ki a koe, Harehare?"
Ka whakahoki taua tāhae, "E, kāre! He aha ai?"
Ka kī atu a Heramia, "Mehemea kei te pīrangi herengi koe, haramai ki te mahi. E rua herengi me te hikipene mō te pēke.
"Ka mea atu a Harehare, "He tika tō kōrero?"
Ka whakahoki a Heramia, "Tino tika nei. Kei taku pāpā ngā moni hei utu i a koe."
Ka tuku a Harehare ki raro, ka herea tōna hōiho ki te taiapa. Ka haere ia ki te pēke kānga.
Ā, ka puta mai ko Tio. Ka tīwaha atu a Heramia, "E Tio, haramai ki te mahi herengi māu. E rua herengi me te hikipene mō te pēke.
"Ka kī atu a Harehare, "Āe, haramai, tekau herengi aku moni ināianei."
Ka herea te hōiho o tērā, ka haramai a Tio ki te pēke kānga.
Ka mahi rātau, ā, ka tae mai he hoa anō. Ka tīmata hoki ia ki te mahi. Ka mahi ngā taitama nei me te kōrero,
"He pāuna me te rima herengi kei āu ināianei."
"Tekau mā rima herengi kei āu."
"Tekau herengi tāku."
Kua timata te whakataetae ināianei, kia kitea ko wai o rātau te tohunga mo te mahi nei. Ko te mahi a Heramia, he kaute i ngā pēkē, kia tika ai te noho, kia kore ai rātau e kohete. Ka puta mai he hoa anō, ka kite atu i te pārekareka o te mahi kānga. Ka kuhu mai rātau ki te mahi.
"E rua pāuna kei āu ināianei."
"He pāuna me te tekau mā rima herengi kei āu."
Pau katoa ngā kaha o ngā taitama nei ki te kohi kānga. I te rua karaka ka mutu te mahi. Ka whakaaro a Heramia, "koinei ngā kānga i whakaaro nei ia he nui ake i nga whetū o te rangi. Titiro ināianei, kua emi katoa. Kāre e roa e mahia ana e te māpu nei ka mutu."
Ka ki atu ia kī a rātau, "Kei taku pāpā ngā moni. Māna koutou e utu i Te Teko, i te whutupōro. Māku koutou e whai atu."
Ka mea atu a Harehare kī a ia, "Me āta tuhituhi e hoa, ā mātau kaute. Kei wareware koe. Ka hoatu ai ki tō Pāpā, kia tika ai te mahi nei."
Ka ki atu a Heramia, "Āe, māku e whakatikatika, kaua e māharahara. Ka utua koutou. Hoatu koutou ināianei." Ka haere ōna hoa ki te whutupōro i Te Teko, ka hoki a Heramia ki te whakatikatika, ki te whakapaipai i a ia.
Tae atu ana a Heramia ki Te Teko, e tīmata ana te whutupōro. Ka whakaaro ia, āe, i āta tae mai ia ki te whutupōro. Ēngari me pēhea rā ināianei. Ka mōhio ana ōna hoa kua raru rātau, ka patua pea ia. Heoi anō me huna ia i waenganui i te iwi, kia mutu te whutupōro, ka kite ai ia me pēhea.
Ka haere te rōpū taitama ki te matua o Heramia. Ka kī atu a Harehare, "Ka pēhea ā mātau moni? Tekau mā iwa ngā pēkē nāku i whakakī."
Ka kōrero ake a Tio, "Tekau mā whitu āku."
Ka mea anō a Harehare, "Ka pei koe i ā mātau ināianei? Kua hoatu e Heramia a mātau kaute ki a koe?"
Ka rakuraku te matua o Heramia i tōna māhunga, ka kōrero ia, "He aha hoki ēnā moni e kōrerotia nā e koutou, ēnā kaute hoki? I taku mōhio, kua raru koutou i a Heramia. Nāna koutou i whakamahi, māna koutou e pei!"
Ka taka te kauae o Harehare, ka huaki te waha. Ka titiro ia ki a Tio. Ka titiro a Tio ki a ia, ki ētahi hoki o ōna hoa, me te whakaaro, "Ka raru mātau i te pokokohua nei i a Heramia."
Ka tau te riri ki runga ki a rātau. Ka kōrero a Harehare, "Haramai, ka haere tātau ki te kimi haere i a Heramia!"