Tōtara-reia
E tama, kia kaua koe e wareware. Kei taua ngahere rā, kei Tōtara-reia, te rua kōiwi o ō tīpuna. Tumeke pai ana a Herewini. He aha hoki te tikanga e hoki mai nei ngā kōrero a Pāpā Koroua ki a ia i nāianei, aua kōrero i whāngaihia ki ōna taringa i a ia e tamariki ana.
He wāhi tino ātaahua taua ngahere, me te mea nei i āta whakatakotohia ngā toka, ngā otaota me ngā rākau kia tino āhuareka ki te karu tangata. He horowai hoki kei reira engari ahakoa tō rongo ki te rere o te wai e kore e kitea nā te mea kei raro kē i te whenua ngā awa e rere ana. Kei reira, kei Tōtara-reia ō tīpuna o te ao kōhatu e takoto ana. He wāhi tino ātaahua.
Ko Pāpā Koroua anake i kōrero pērā. Atu i a ia, kotahi te kōrero a ngā pākeke ki ngā tamariki, "He wāhi tino tapu, te ngahere rā. Kaua koutou e haere ki reira!"
Āe hoki, te whakaaro o Herewini, nā tana tapu kua whakarērea noa atu a Tōtara-reia e te whānau. Mai i te taenga mai o ngā mihingare, he urupā kē tō te whānau, tērā e tū ana i te taha o te whare karakia. He aha rā te tikanga e hoki mai nei ngā kōrero a Pāpā Koroua, koia kua tekau tau kē e takoto ana i te urupā.
Ko Herewini anake i tana kāinga i taua wā. Kua haere kē ana mātua ki rāwāhi. Kīhai a Herewini i haere nā te mea ko ia te tino toa o tō rātau tīma whutupaoro o te kura, he tino whawhai anō hoki tā rātau i taua wiki.
"Ka pai koe ki a koe anake?" te ui mai a tana kōkā.
"Hai e mā ... kua pakeke nei ahau, kia pātai mai koe i tēnā pātai."
Pai tonu tana noho ko ia anake engari nō te hokihoki mai o ngā kōrero a tana tipuna koroua kua pā mai tētahi āhua rere kē ki a ia me tana whakaaro anō, he aha kē tēnei āhua.
He mahi uaua tērā, te moe i taua pō. Tana roa e moe hurihuri ana ka maranga a ia me te whakaaro, pai kē atu taku haere ki te mātakitaki ataata. Tau ana ōna waewae ki te whāriki... aue taukuri e ... he paku pūkohu i mua i a ia me tētahi ura rākau e tū ana i roto. He tangata i runga ake o taua uru rākau e tungatunga mai ana ki a ia. Ka miri a Herewini i onā whatu me te whakaaro ... he aha kē tēnei?
I reira tonu ka ngaro taua pohewa. "He moemoeā noa iho," te whakahua a Herewini ki te pō.
Ao ake te rā kāore a ia i whakaaro anō mō taua āhua, engari tae mai te pō, i tana haerenga ki te moe, ka puta anō taua kohu me te uru rākau me te tangata rā. E tungatunga mai ana anō te ringa o taua tangata. Ai... he tohu pea tēnei, te whakaaro o Herewini. Nā tērā ka tangi tana waea ki a Matiu, te tungāne o tana kōkā, me tana kōrero atu mō tana pohewa. "E tama, kei te kaingia koe e te kēhua," te whakautu mai a Matiu." Tēnā, pīrangi haramai koe ki a au?"
Kīhai a Herewini i pīrangi kia whakaaro tana matua kēkē kei te mataku a ia," Kāore ... kei te pai ahau, engari me aha te mea nei?"
"Inā tika o karakia o te pō e kore ēnā tū āhua e pā mai ki a koe. Kia tika tō karakia. Mōhio koe ki ngā karakia. "I taua pō i mātua karakia a Herewini i ngā karakia katoa i ākona mai e tana tipuna koroua ki a ia. Kua whakarerea noa atu e ia aua karakia i roto i ngā tau, kua kore hoki tana ngākau e tino whakapono ki aua karakia. Kotahi anō tana atua o taua wā, arā, ko te tākaro whutupaoro. Hāunga tērā, i tēnei pō, koia tērā e karakia haere ana, e rui haere ana hoki i tana taiwhanga moe i te wai.
A ... autaia ... tino reka te moe a Herewini, engari tae mai te ata hāpara kua puta anō taua pohewa rā, te pūkohu, te uru rākau me te tangata e tungatunga mai rā ki a ia. I tērā ka maranga a Herewini me te whakaaro he take nui tēnei... me aro atu ia.
Nā ka kuhu a ia i ōna kākahu ka puta ki waho. Kāore tonu a ia e mōhio e haere ana a ia ki whea, otirā ko te āhua nei he hunga anō i tana taha, e ārahi haere ana i a ia. I whai atu a ia i te huarahi mō tētahi wā, kātahi ka peke taiapa ki waenga pārae. Nā te pōuri tino kore nei a ia e mōhio i whea a ia e haere ana. Ahakoa tērā kore rawa atu te mataku me te wehi e pā mai ki a ia. E āhua tohe mai ana tana hinengaro me te ki, tō heahea, tō pōrangi... e haere matakāpō nei koe i te pō.
Hei aha māna, kua tau kē tana ngākau ki tēnei haere ahakoa tana kore mōhio he aha te tikanga o taua haere. Kōkiri ana te haeata i te paerangi, kātahi anō a Herewini ka paku kite atu kua tata a ia ki te ngahere.
E tū tata mai ana tētahi uru rākau tōtara ... ko te uru rākau i roto i tana pohewa. He taiapa i muri o taua uru rākau me te pōuriuri o te ngahere i tua atu. Kotahi te whakaaro i puta mai ki te hinengaro o Herewini... ko Tōtara-reia tērā ... ko te urupā o aku tīpuna o te ao kōhatu.
I reira ka hoki mai anō ngā kōrero whakatūpato a ngā koroua me ngā kuia, "He wāhi tino tapu tērā, kaua koutou e haere ki reirā."
Nā, kua tīmata a Herewini ki te tautohe anō ki a ia, he aha taku mahi i kōnei... kua tino pōrangi ahau ... me hoki ahau me haere tonu rānei? I huri tonu a Herewini ki te hoki engari kore rawa atu ōna waewae e neke. Ka uru mai hoki ki tana hinengaro te kōrero ... he tino take tēnei... he tino mahi kei mua i a koe ... haere tonu. Nā tērā ka piki taiapa a Herewini, ka haere tika atu ki roto i te mātotoru o te ngahere.
Aue... taukuri e... kātahi anō te mea tino mīharo rawa atu. Koia, koia taua wāhi i kōrerotia rā e tana tipuna. E tūtū ana ngā rākau me ngā toka me ngā pū wīwī me ngā otaota katoa me te mea nei i āta whakatōhia kia āhuareka ai ki te tirohanga tangata.
E haumiri mai ana i ōna taringa, ko te tangi o te tāheke me te horowai. Ka whai haere ōna whatu i te tangi o te wai, ka tau ki tētahi pari kātahi anō ka tuhia e ngā hihi o te haeata. Pūhanahana mai ana taua pari me te wai e tāheke ana he mea hopu i ngā tae o Uenuku kia tiwhana mai te kōpere. Engari kāore he awa. Ngaro tika ana ngā wai o taua horowai ki ngā rua me ngā tomo i te kōpū o te whenua.
I a ia e whakamīharo ana ki taua wāhi, ka pā mai te matangi ki tana kiri, he mea whakaoho i a ia, tohu mai hoki kia tirotiro haere tonu a ia. I roto i te hīnātore kātahi a ia ka kite atu i tētahi rua e hāmama mai ana. I konei, ka pā mai te whakaaro kia tino tūpato tana haere.
Ka whakatata atu a Herewini ki taua rua. Ai ... aue ... he pārihirihi tērā e takoto mai rā, he wheua kōiwi hoki e putu haere ana. Ko te toka, te tatau o taua rua e takoto ana i te taha. Nā wai hoki tērā mahi? Te rahi o tērā toka, mā te tīma arewhana rawa e neke. Heoi anō, kua mārama ki a Herewini te take i tōia mai a ia ki te wāhi tapu nei. I reira tonu ka maringi mai te kupu karakia i tana waha me tana mōhio ehara nāna aua kupu.
I a ia e hoki ana ki te kāinga kotahi te kōrero i roto i tana hinengaro ... haere ki te awa, haere ki te wai pure o ō tīpuna ... haere ki te awa ruku ai ... kia ngahoro ngā tapu kei runga i a koe.
I te putanga mai o Herewini i te awa, e tū mai ana a Āperehama, te tino koroheke o te whānau. "E tama, he aha kē tēnā mahi āhau? Kātahi anō au ka kite i te tangata e ruku ana i te Hōtoke. Haere ki te kuhu kākahu ka haramai ki a au.
" Tae rawa ki te poupoutanga o te rā e noho ana a Herewini i mua i ngā koroua o te marae i te whare o Āperehama. Kua mutu tana kōrero mō ngā āhuatanga o taua pō, kua pau hoki ngā pātai a ngā korokē rā.
Nā wai rā ka tū a Āperehama ka kī, "E tama, tēnei au e mihi nei ki a koe mōu i tohungia e ngā mātua tīpuna mō tēnei mahi. Ka tika hoki... nō te ure tārewa nei koe.
Nāhau e mōhio ai tātau kua tūkinotia te rua kōiwi o ngā tīpuna. Kāti rā ... kua tutuki te wāhi i hōmai rātau māhau e mahi. Waiho mai mā mātau e whakaoti."
E ai ki ngā kōrero nā Āperehama tonu i whakahoki te pārihirihi rā me ngā wheua kōiwi ki te rua. Ko tētahi kōrero e kī ana nā taua koroua anō hoki i tō te toka rā ki te waha o te rua. Mā wai e whakahē? Waihoki a Herewini, mai tērā wā ki nāianei tino reka nei tana moe i te pō.
He ngākau pono he mataaho kōataata.