Kōia nei tētehi o ngā pā whakahirahira o Tūnohopu. E ai te kōrero ko Tūnohopu te kākāhi whakairoiro ongā roto moana, ka rua, he uri nā Whakaue-Kaipapa te tino mana nui o te tākere waka.
He momona ngā kōrero māna, he tangata i arohaina e te iwi, he rangatira kaha ki te manaaki tangata waihoki he mātua tāne i matapoporetia ai e āna tamariki. Nō te wā e ora nei a Tūnohopu ka nui hoki ngā whakararuraru i a Te Arawa me Ngāti Tūwharetoa.
Ko Meremere me Tamamutu ngā kākākura heke iho i te kāwai tapu o Ngātoroirangi, whoi anō e pōuri kerekere ana te whatumanawa i ngā whakahāweatanga a Te Rorooterangi, he tuakana nō Tūnohopu, koia tēnei te pūtake i mate atu ai ēnei rangatira i Tawharakurupeti.
Ka patua rātou, ka poroa ngā mahunga ka pakipakia. Ko Tūnohopu i ora.
Ka noho rātou ko te ope tāua a Tamamutu me Meremere ki ngā pāpāringa o te Rotoruanui-a-Kahu he whakapōrearea i ngā tini kāinga o te takiwā. Kāore anō kia tetekō ngā manu hāpara kua riria a Taumatarangi e Tamamutu. Mate ana te tangata, ko ngā mōrehu i puta i ora, āra anō te hunga i kōhurutia.
Kāti hā! Ka maranga a Tūnohopu me ōna tangata ka puta i te whare ka takahia te kūmore ka heke i te pīnakitanga ka huna i te poho o te ana i Te Rae a Te Rangikawhata. Ka ora. E whakangā ana ngā waewae e noho mārire te tokoiti ka tatauhia ōna tangata – rokohanga atu tana whakapākanga kāre e kītea.
Kua riro i te huka a tai, ka whakamomoritia te matenga o tana whakamutunga a Taioperua. Ka tangi.
A close-up view of the ana at Kawaha. Photo / Raimona Inia
Ka pau ngā mārama ka rongo kōrero a Tūnohopu e ora tonu ana tana whakapakanga. I mauheretia e Tamamutu a Taioperua hai mōkai māna. Ka mātika a Tūnohopu ka takahia te ara ki Taupō.
Ka roa e haere ana ka roa e haere ana nā wai rā ka tae ki te whakatīeke o te pā o Tamamutu, kāre i kōrerohia te ingoa o te pā e ngā pakeke, whoi anō, he pā nui.
A Tūnohopu i whakataurekarekatia tāna āhua, kua tākaia ki te whāriki hurahura, kua paru te tāpeha, kua hāunga tahi, kātahi te moumou o te tangata. Ka tomokia te pā. Ka pātaia te whare o Tamamutu, ā, ka urutomoa ka nōhia tana moenga , pāorooro kau ana te reo o te iwi, ka hura te tai riri.
Ka puta mai a Tamamutu ka tika ki tōna kāinga, tū ana a Tūnohopu – Hā! He kanohi kītea he kanohi mōhiohio. Ka whakahīhī tahi a Tamamutu, he mōhio nōna ko Tūnohopu tonu. Ka hongi hongi rāua ka tangi rāua.
Ka whakatikahia tana ngākau, ka mea atu ki āna taurekareka, kia haria mai he kāhu waero hai tākai i tōna tangata, ka pania te tāpeha ki te kōkōwai, ka herungia te makawe, ka tītīa ki ngā rau o te huia me te toroa- kia tika hoki, waihoki ka whoatu he taiaha māna, he mere pounamu māna.
Me ko Rūnukuiroiro a Pou ki te piko-i-rangi ko Tūnohopu ki te whenua. Ka puta a Tamamutu i tana kāinga e hāmama ana te waha, "Ko te whakaariki ! Ko te whakaariki !", Tū ana te iwi, ka mau ki te hoeroa, ka mau ki te mere, ka pau te whare huata o Māui i a rātou.
Matāra kau ana ngā manu tūtei. Rokohanga atu te hoa riri kāre e kitea! Ka tuaruangia te whakaaraara,"
E ko mate tātou, ko hau mai ki te paepoto o taku whare! Ka ngaro tātou e te iwi kai te puku o te taniwha e oreore ana!"
Huri kau ana ngā kanohi, tū mai ko Tūnohopu ki te pae kaiāwha o te whare. Me ko Tamamuawhiti ki te paepaeroa anei tō tātou rangatira ko Tūnohopu.
Mū katoa te iwi. Ka tū a Tamamutu ki te whakatau i tō rātou nā manuwhiri, ka puta mai a
Taioperua ka tika anō hoki te tukinga manawa o tōna matua tāne. Kua ea ngā taumahatanga, takoto mōai rokiroki te moana, ka hohoutia ki te rongo, mau tonu,mau tonu.
Overlooking Lake Rotorua at a site today known as Kawaha, once stood the grand fortified village Taumatarangi.
The site was once the stronghold of the warrior chief Tunohopu, a descendant of the famed chief Whakaue-kaipapa.
There are many stories associated with the grand Taumatarangi but the most famous involved the kidnapping of Tunohopu's son Taioperua.
Te Ana o Tunohopu. Photo / Raimona Inia
During the time of Tunohopu there was great friction between the tribes of Te Arawa and those of Taupō.
Meremere and Tamamutu descendant warrior chiefs of the Te Arawa high priest Ngātoroirangi came to Rotorua to avenge past defeats.
Following the battle of Tawharakurupeti at the Government Gardens, surviving Te Arawa forces quickly retreated to their strongholds to mourn their losses.
Tamamutu and his war band remained in the area causing havoc. Early one morning Tamamutu attacked the docile Taumatarangi village.
Tunohopu was caught off guard but quickly collected his family and in the early morning scurried down the slope of the pā site seeking refuge in the cave on the headland Te Rae a Te Rangikawhata.
While under attack Tunohopu noticed they had left behind their youngest child, Taioperua. There was nothing that he could do but wait for the war party to leave.
Months passed when news arrived that Taioperua had not been killed but instead had been taken captive and returned to Taupō.
Tunohopu made the lonely journey to retrieve his son.
On arriving at the village of Tamamutu, he asked where Tamamutu's house was. Making his way up, he entered and sat in the sleeping quarters – to the consternation of the occupants.
When Tamamutu arrived, he recognised the uninvited guest immediately as the Rotorua chief, Tunohopu.
Tunohopu had draped himself in the clothing of a peasant and smeared dirt over his body to disguise his status. After greeting Tunohopu, Tamamutu asked him to clean himself up. He gave Tunohopu clothing befitting his status and had his hair annoited with oil and ochre.
Lastly, he presented the chief with items of office.
Suddenly he ran outside shouting: " Beware my people beware the enemy is upon us!"
The villagers quickly manned their stations but did not see anything threatening. Again the chief called his people to arms – and by now they were absolutely confused.
Again Tamamutu cried "they are upon us and have walked my threshold". At that very moment Tunohopu walked out of the chief's house and before all the tribe he was embraced by Tamamutu.
Taioperua was returned to Tunohopu and with his father they stayed as honoured guests at Taupo before returning to Rotorua with great riches and a personal escort.
