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PItaka and Pekehaua

(Tirohia hoki tera atu korero mo Pekehaua me Te Awahou)

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Ngāti Rangiwewehi

He porehu ngā momo taniwha e noho nei i ngā awa, i ngā moana, i ngā puna, i te whenua anō hoki, ka mutu, he rerekē tētehi i tētehi. Ko tā te taniwha he tiaki, he ārahi i te tangata e noho tata ana. Engari anō ētehi atu, he māminga, he kino, ā, ko tā rātau kē he patu i te tangata.

Tērā tētehi kōrero e kī ana ko Pekehaua te taniwha i noho ai i Te Awahou, ā, ko tāna hoki he patu i te rāwaho e takahi ana i te whenua rā. Ka māharahara te iwi i te tokomaha o ngā tāngata e patua ana, e kainga ana hoki e Pekehaua i a rātau e hīkoi haere ana i te takiwā. Nō reira, ka toko ake te whakaaro kia patua te taniwha e ngā tāngata 170 i tukuna ai kia kimihia te taniwha rā. Ka kohia e rātau te kareao i te ngahere ka hangaia ai tētehi tāiki kia mau te taniwha weriweri. I whakarākeihia te tāiki rā ki ngā huruhuru kererū, ā, he mea here hoki te taura me tētehi toka.

Nā wai, nā wai, ka tae ngā tāngata ki te puna hōhonu i noho ai a Pekehaua e kīia nei ko Te Waro-Uri ka kawea ai te tāiki ki te tahatika. Nā tētehi rangatira, arā, nā Pītaka i tūao kia heke ki raro mā te tāiki ki te ana i noho ai a Pekehaua. Ka heke ia ki raro iho rā i te kāhui e taki karakia ana i runga kia tau ai te taniwha.

Nā ngā karakia i tau ai te taniwha i taea ai e Pītaka te taura te here ki te hiku o Pekehaua. Ka karakia tonu te iwi o runga rā e kaha ake ai tā rātau kukume i te taura kia piki a Pekehaua ki runga. Ka whawhai a Pekehaua e taka ai ētehi tāngata ki roto i te wai, heoi, kāore noa iho te taura i tukua e rātau. Nā wai rā, ka pau te hau o te taniwha, ā, ka kūmea te taniwha ki te tahatika o te awa kia patua e te ope tangata.

Kāore e kore ka whakamīharo ētehi, ka tumeke hoki ētehi i te kitenge atu o Pekehaua e te iwi. I te rongotanga atu o te kōrero ka tae te tini ki te kite i te taniwha rā, he tohorā te āhua, heoi, he tara koi kei tōna tuarā me tōna hiku. He mea poka a Pekehaua e ngā tāne ka kitea ai ngā kōiwi tāngata, ētehi kākahu, he whāriki, he taputapu, he kōpere, he tao, he aha, he aha i kai ai ia i ngā tau.

I taua pō rā i takaina ai tētehi hākari nui, ā, ko te kiko o Pekehaua i tapahia ai e tēnā, e tēnā hei kai ma rātau, ka mutu, i mōhio pū rātau kua kore he māharahara i te korenga o te taniwha kai tangata i noho ai i te takiwā rā.

Qualities: identity, relationships

Did you know?

The people of Ngāti Rangiwewehi have a very different story about Pekehaua. They believe that he was not a dangerous monster but a guardian of their waters and people. Some say that he was never captured and that he still lives in Te Awahou river today helping to keep swimmers in the river safe and can sometimes be heard swimming peacefully in the deep water.

You can read their version of Pekehaua’s story on the related entry listed below.

Click here an alternative version of this story

For younger tamariki:

One day a taniwha (Aunty Bea Yates)

This entry is related to these other entries:

Pekehaua and the Awahou River

Sources:

Te Arawa: A History of the Arawa People, Don Stafford, A.H & A.W Reed, 1967

2. The Killing of Pekehaua, Volume 11, 1878, Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand Institute 1878 at

Alexander Turnbull Library

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