Tahiti
Nā T. S. Kāretu
Nō te tekau mā waru o Tīhema mātau i ū ai ki tēnei wāhi ātaahua. Kua matika noa atu te nuinga o mātau ki te mātakitaki, i a mātau e whakatata atu ana, ki te moutere o Tahiti ki te taha matau o te waka, ā, ki te taha mauī ko te moutere e kiia nei e ngā mea o reira ko Mo'orea. Nō te whā pea i te ata au i oho ai, i te kaha hoihoi o aku hoa, a, nō taku putanga atu ki waho, ka kite au i ēnei moutere. Ka mutu kē te ātaahua!
Nō muri i te kai mātau i heke atu ai ki te mātakitaki haere, ā, kātahi anō ka kitea te paruparu o tēnei tāone nui o Tahiti, o Papeete. Kei te taha tonu o te moana te tāone nei. Ko te paruparu kē! Hoki noa ana ngā whakaaro ki te wā i a mātau e whakatata ana, a, ki te wā i pōhēhē ai mātau he ātaahua a Tahiti.
Ko te iwi ake o konei ake he rite ki a tātau, ki ngā Māori, ā, ko tō rātau reo ake he āhua rite anō ki tō tātau. Ēngari nā te nui o ngā Wīwī o reira, kua Wīwī haere rātau, ā, kōrero ai ngā mea o reira i ēnei reo e rua. Ko te reo Wīwī hoki te reo whakaako o ngā kura o reira. Pai noa iho te mōhio o te tangata ki ā rātau kōrero mena te tangata e mōhio ana ki te whakarongo Māori, ā, kotahi te pōhēhētanga mai o tētahi wahine o reira, nō reira anō au!
He nui tēnei mea te hua rākau ki reira, ā, ko ngā mea pēnei i te panana, i te paināporo me ērā atu momo hua rākau, he iti rawa atu te utu ki reira.
Nō te ahiahi mātau i whakangahautia ai e rātau. Ko ngā kai he mea hāngi, ēngari kāore i rite ki ā tātau nei kai te reka. Ko ā rātau kai he mea takai noa iho ki te rau rākau, ka mea atu ai ki runga i ētahi kohatu wera waiho ai. Kāore kē i taupokina ngā kai, ā, i mua i te utanga ki runga i ngā kōhatu he mea tuku ki te wai moana, mā reira e whakareka mai.
I a mātau e kai ana, ka puta mai ngā kōtiro rātau ko ētahi tāne ki te kanikani mai i ā rātau nei kanikani. Kāore kē nei i rite ki ā tātau - ko ō rātau hope anake e whatiwhati ana! Ka rawe kē nei ki te mātakitaki atu. Ko ā rātau waiata he tata atu ki ngā mea o Hāmoa me Rarotonga - ki a au nei, he rite katoa ngā mea o ēnei moutere ki te waiata. Ko ō rātau reo he teitei ake i ō tātau, a, nā reira kāore i tino pai te tangi mai ki te taringa Maori.
Nō te pō, i haere mātau ki te mātakitaki haere i ngā wāhi whakangahau o Papeete. Ko tētahi o ngā wāhi nei ko Quinn's Bar - ko te mutunga mai o te riko o tēnei wāhi inuinu - kāore kē he painga! I haere anō mātau ki La Fayette, he wāhi āhua rite nei ki Quinn's Bar. Ko te wāhi tino pai o ngā mea katoa i haere ai mātau ko te Royal Tahitian Hotel. He tino ātaahua kē te wāhi nei, a, ka rawe kē hoki ngā kai o konei. I kite anō mātau i ētahi kanikani o Tahiti i konei - ko ngā mea i kite mātau he tāmure, he upaupa, ēngari ki te kūware pēnei i a au nei, i rite katoa. Nō te runa i te ata i wehe mai ai mātau i Tahiti, a, ko te wera hoki o te rangi, ahakoa i te moata tonu.
Tekau mā rua ō mātau rā ki te moana e pārara ana i te rā, kātahi anō mātau ka tau ki runga ki te whenua, a, ko te tauranga ko Panama.