Te one roa a Tōhe
Nā Henare Everitt
Ki tā te Pākehā whakahua e iwa tekau maero te roa o tēnei one mai i tōna pito tonga ki tōna pito tokerau, engari kāre i pērā rawa te roa. E whā tekau maero noaiho kē, ā, māhau tonu ēnei e whakamātau mai ki tā te kiromita roanga. Heoi ko te kōrero ki tā te iwi o te takiwā, a Te Aupouri, nā te tipuna rā nā Tōhe te take i whakahuatia te one nei mōna. I pēnei te kōrero.
I noho te rangatira nei ki tana kāinga i Kapowairua. E waru ōna tamariki, ko te mea pōtiki i moe tāne ka riro ki Ōunuwhao noho ai. Kei ngā takiwā o te rohe o Hokianga tēnei kāinga. Ka haere te wā, ka korouatia a Tōhe, ka whakaaro ake ia ki tana kōtiro e noho mai rā. Nōna te hiahia nā roto o te moemoeā kia haere ki te toro atu, engari ka kī ake tōna iwi me ka mate atu ia nā te tawhiti o te haere me tana koroheketanga. Ko tana whakautu kia kapohia atu tana wairua a te wā e tika. Ka tahuri ia ka haere.
Ka haere, ka haere, he maha ngā āhuatanga i pā ki te kaumātua nei me tana piri, i whakaputaina e ia he whakaaro, he whakataukī rānei hei whakahua wāhi. Ko ētahi o ngā ingoa nei ko Matapia, he toka i te au moana; ko Waikanae, he wāhi awaawa i kitea e ranga ana te kanae; ko Waka te haua, ko Maunganui rānei he toka hī ika kei te akau; ko Tama rā waho, he karanga nā ētahi tāngata me ā rātou rore kuaka kia haere rāua rā waho atu.
Ko te ingoa mutunga i pēnei ai: nō tā rāua taenga ki Ahipara ka whakaaro te kaumātua ki te tawhiti o tā rāua haerenga mai. Kātahi ka takoto tana piri me te whakamārō i ōna ringaringa kia kitea te hekenga o te tai. E rua ngā whārotanga, kotahi ki uta, kotahi ki tai. Ka huaina taua wāhi ko Whāro ki uta, whāro ki tai. Ko te one katoa ka huaina ko Te One Roa ā Tōhe.