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TE KARA A TE TUMU
Ao ake i te ata, ngē rawa ana ngā kākā i te uru kahikatea i karapoti ai i te repo. Nā te aha rātou i turituri nā, te whakaaro o Te Kawenga i a ia e hoki atu ana ki te kāinga. I waenganui pō, kua kaha pupuhi te hauāuru-mā-tonga, ā, i te rere te pōkēao i te rangi atatū. He amowheke noa pea nō te kākā i te rapunga a tētahi pōkai karoro i te wāhi ruruhau ki uta. Mā roto mai i te tātākī, ka rangona e ia te karanga a Kakati e oma ake ana i te ara ki a ia.
‘Taihoa e haere. Me whakamōhio atu tēnei ki a koe,’ tāna kihakiha me te tuku i āna tahā ki te papa.
‘Ākuni pea, i tono a Paritū kia haere ngātahi kōrua ki te tautau tuna.’
‘Āna, engari ehara tērā i te kōrero. Whakarongo mai! Inapō, i rongo ai au i ngā tāne e matapaki ana i te kareao. I te tika ōku whakaaro.’
‘He aha kē tāu?’
‘Kei te whakamahi rātou i te kareao kia hanga ai i tētahi tāwhiti rahi rawa atu ki Pūponga.’
‘Hei aha?’
‘Kāhore rātou i whāki mai. Kāhore e kore, kia mau tētahi mea … Kua hoki kē mai tō matua?’
‘Kāhore anō. Ka mutu, hihira katoa tōku whaea i taku ui atu ki a ia mōna.’
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Ka tarawhete haere ngā kōhine i te ara. Kātahi ka rarapa whero mai te rangi i te rerenga atu a te pōkai kākā nō te whakawhitinga o te ara e te tira toa. I mōhio a Te Kawenga ki tētahi o ngā tāne, he huānga nō Te Pane o Mataaoho. Kua āhua roa te wā kāhore tōna whānau i toro atu i ō rātou whanaunga e noho rā ki taua pā ki te tonga. Ka mihi atu te tāne ki a ia, kātahi te ope ka kokiri ake ki te tūāhu.
‘He aha rātou e tau mai rā?’ te kōhimuhimu a Kakati.
‘Aua hoki, otirā, tino hiahia ana au ki te mōhio,’ i hamumu a Te Kawenga e tohu ana i tētahi tūāpapa toka puia e tū whakaterāwhiti ana i te tūāhu, i marumaru ai i te ngaio.
‘Wiiii … He aha hoki! Hoea tō waka.’
‘Me tatari ki a au i tō papakāinga,’ te kī unene a Te Kawenga i a ia e karapetapeta ana ki te ururua, kia kore ai ia e kitea.
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Ka whakapeke ia i muri i ngā toka ōnewa. Ko te reo o Te Tumu, o te tohunga ahurewa, i rongo ai ia. Nāna i tuku mihi maioha ki te tira whakaeke me ā rātou koha nō te pātaka o Tangaroa. Nāna i whakamihi tā rātou tautoko i ngā mahi ki mua i a rātou.
‘E aku ringa tōhau nui, tirohia te miromiro! Mā te manu nei, te hua o tā tātou take e whāki ai,’ te kōrero a Te Tumu.
Ahakoa tōna kaha hiahia ki te titiro ki te manu, ka nohopuku noa a Te Kawenga.
‘Me ngaki rawa te matenga o ō tātou whanaunga nō Te Uri o Pou,’ te whakahau a Te Tumu. Ka āta tuwhera ia i te kūaha o te whare manu.
‘Kua kōrero mai tō tātou taniwha a Haumia, te tupua. Māna te mauri o Tīkapa Moana o Hauraki e poapoa ki Te Mānuka. Mā te patunga e whakamana ai a Tāmaki nei mō ake tonu atu. Me whawhai tahi tātou, e ngā hapū o Ngā Oho.’
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Kātahi a Te Tumu ka takitaki i ngā karakia. He māharahara nō Te Kawenga, ka kimihia ia e tōna whānau. Nā, ka kumu ia i tōna manawa, ka hītekiteki ia ki te ara. Nō te taenga atu ki ngā papakaīnga, hukehuke ana te rere a tētahi miromiro i te tūāhu. Mōhio kē ia, koia te manu mauhere e tohu ana i te hua o ngā whakaritenga a Te Tumu.
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‘He kawe a riri kei te haere,’ te tūngāngā a Te Kawenga i a ia e oma atu ana ki a Kakati.
‘Tēnā pōhēhē tēnā!’
‘Ko tā tātou whakaekenga i a Hauraki te kaupapa o te hui rā.’
‘He kore. Kei te hanga tāwhiti rātou ki Pūponga. Kia mau ai i te aha, kāhore au i te paku mōhio.’
‘Nā konā, he mea ia kia poapoatia e Haumia ki reira. Ki tō whakapae, kei te whakaae a Te Arikinui ki te kara e whakatakoto nei a Te Tumu?’
‘Mārama ki a au ka pēhea tāua e mōhio ai,’ ka kimo a Kakati. ‘Me kōrero tāua ā muri ake nei?’
‘Ka pai. Hei te tōnga o te rā ki te uru karaka tūtaki ai,’ te hamumu a Te Kawenga.
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Nō te tuwheratanga o te putanga ki tōna papakāinga, ka tīwaha atu tōna kuia.
‘Ira! Kua hoki mai a Ngāti Pōturi. I hea koe? Kei te mateinu mātou.’
‘Māu ōu tēina e tiaki i tēnei rangi,’ te tohutohu a tōna whaea i a ia e wehe atu ana ki te māra kai mahi ai. ‘Kia kaha tō whakaoti i te raranga kete.’
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Mō te roanga ake o te rā, ka tākaro tahi ngā tamariki me ō rātou hoa. Ka tā pōtaka, ka toro teka, ka aruaru haere i te paranga ki te paenga o te heuheu. Ka noho a Te Kawenga i te maru o tētahi tōtara, mātakitaki ai i a rātou. Pokea katoatia ana te whatumanawa e ngā mahi o te ata. Tekau mā tahi kē ōna tau, ā, hūneinei tōna ngākau i tana aukatinga i ngā whakataunga a te ao pakeke. Anipā tonu ana ia, ka pāngia kinotia te hapū katoa e te kaupapa a Te Tumu. Ki tāna titiro, ka whāki atu a Kahotea i ngā mahi i Pūponga, nā konā, me toro atu ia i tōna matua ki reira.
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Nō te hokinga mai o tōna whaea i te ngakinga, kua horahia kētia e Te Kawenga te kai māna – he kahawai i mau mai ai i tōna matua kēkē i te ahiahi tonu nei, he uwhi kua tunua i te ahi. Kua whāngaihia e ia ngā tēina, i te okioki a Hākui.
‘E taku ihu oneone, kātahi te pōuri o tōku ngākau kia moe atu koe i tētahi tāne. Nōna te waimarie ki te whai i te wahine pukumahi pēnā i a koe,’ te tangi a Whiu. ‘Māku te pou tuarongo o tō tātou whare e whakangaro atu.’
‘Mā Piri rāua ko Rangiaho āku mahi e pīkau. E Whae, tukuna ahau kia haere tahi māua ko Kakati ki Pūponga āpōpō hei toro atu i a Matua,’ te pātai i tukua noatia e Te Kawenga.
‘Kei te mokemoke au ki a ia, ka mutu, māku te hunga rā e āwhina ki te taka kai.’
‘He aha a Kakati e haere ai ki reira?’ te uiui a tōna whaea.
‘He karere kōhukihuki tāna ki te tuku atu ki a Te Pikinga,’ te rūkahu a Te Kawenga. ‘Hei Ōtāne au hoki mai ai, tāku oati. Me te mea anō, kei te haere atu hoki tōna tungāne a Te Waru. Mā ngā tēina e heke iho ki te puna tiki wai ai i taku ngaronga atu.’
Kua roa a Whiu e noho mū noa ana, e ata tīkarokaro ana i te kiko ika mai i ngā kōiwi me te ngaungau.
‘E pai ana,’ tāna whakautu mārire. ‘Heoi anō, kotahi atu koutou ki Onehunga. Ki te marino tonu te moana, hoea atu ki Pūponga. Whakahokia mai he tuangi.’
‘E mea ana koe! Ka kī tonu tāku kete. Māku ngā toenga kai e panga atu ki te para ināianei,’ te whakataruna a te tamāhine i a ia e oma koa atu ana ki te rapu i a Kakati.
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I te hauāuru, ka miramiratia te pae maunga o Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa e ngā rangi pūwhero me he pua rata. Te korihi hoki o te waha a Tāne. Ka whakataetaetia te waiata a te pihaireinga e te koekoe a te tūī me te korimako. Ka whai a Te Kawenga i te take o te maioro i karapoti ai i Te Ipu a Mataaoho. Ki tōna whakapae, kua kore he tangata kotahi i te uru karaka e tipu ana ki ngā aupikinga rāwhiti. Kua hauhaketia kētia ngā hua maoa i mua i te putanga mai a Matariki, me te aha anō, he wāhi rāhui te whare tūhāhā o Te Tumu i tū ai ki te tūāpapa i runga rawa i te uru karaka. Ka kite a Te Kawenga i tōna tuakana e noho ana i runga i te peka pāpaku o tētahi pūriri i te taha o te uru. I āta puru ia i te rārā ki roto i tētahi puare paku o te kahiwi.
‘Kua kitea tētahi e koe?’ te pātai a Te Kawenga.
‘Kāhore kau he ngutara kotahi. Mahue tāku kawe mai he tahā hei whakaputa i te ngārara.’
‘Waiho kia huri hei pepe, he paramanawa makue mā te ruru.’
‘Ka aroha hoki te pepe tuna. Ehara i te mea ka puta ia kia awhia roatia e te ao marama.’
‘Ki a au nei, ehara tō tungāne koretake i te mea kia tīpakohia mō te wharekura, ko koe kē! Heoti rā, kua whakaae mārika a Whiu. Mā tātou ko Te Waru e toro atu ki Pūponga!’ tāna pākiwaha.
‘Auē. Kei te haere mai tōku tungāne rorirori? He pūmanawa kōrero teka ōu!’ te whakahoki a Kakati me te tīkoro o ōna whatu. ‘Ka whakatika tāua ā muri i te otinga o ngā mahi o te ata. Kuhuna tōu pākē kia mahana ai. Whītikia tētahi tū ki tōu taupaki. Raua ki tō pīkau he tahā, he māripi me te kao. Hei Te Aratakihaere tūtaki ai.’
‘Hei āpōpō. Kia au te moe,’ te menemene a Te Kawenga. Hukehuke ana tāna hoki ki te papakāinga kei hopohopo te ngākau o tōna whaea.