Kāhu ki Rotorua: Part two: The great net of Te Pokiha Taranui

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See below for English translation

Ko Te Pokiha me tana kupenga whakahirahira

Ka uta te kupenga ki te papa o te hourua. Ka tere te waka ki wē moana. He mea arahina te waka e Tohe Te Whanarere, te manuao e noho mai nā ki te karamata reo irirangi i uta.

Kai kōnā ia e rotarota atu ana ki ngā pou hoe o te waka. Ka roa ngā toa e hoe ana, ka kitea he rāngai ika, ka titiro ngā kanohi o ngā toa ki uta ki a Tohe, kīhai ia i aro ki ngā hiahia o te ngākau.

Nā wai rā, ka hamama te waha o Tohe, “Haukoti mai!”, ā, ka tukuna te kōnae o te kupenga ki te moana, ka anga mai te parata o te waka ki uta, kānapanapa kau ana te rapa o ngā hoe, me pēwhea hoki e hīanga ai ngā pouhoe, kua ākona rātau e Tohe kia tika tonu te mahi, kai te mātaki hoki rātau i te manuao i uta.

Nā wai rā ka karangangia te waka ki a hoki ki uta. Nā te pakari o te kupenga me te rahi o te ika, ka uaua te hoe o te waka. Ka heke a Tohe i te taumaihi, ka unuhia ōna pueru, ka pania tōna kaupapa ki te kōkōwai, ka ruku a Tohe ki te moana, he ahakoa ngā pioke, he ahakoa ngā wheke, kīhai tētehi o ngā ika i tahuri ki te whai i a ia.

Te kupenga whakahirahira.

He mōhio nō Tohe, kai te warea kē ngā ika ki te rapu i te waha o te kupenga, kāore e take ana ki te tangata.

Ka tae a Tohe ki te kōnae o te kupenga, ka kūmau tana manawa, ka ruku ki te papa o te moana, ka roa, ka roa ka tae ki te kahararo.

Tū ana a Tohe, ko ōna waewae ki te papa o te moana, ka puritia ōna ringaringa ki te kahararo, ka hikina e ia he wahi o te kupenga e puta ai ētehi o ngā ika, e māmā ai te huhuti ake i te kupenga e ngā tāne o roto o te waka.Ko ngā ika i ora kai pāmaomao noa ngā hiku e piupiu ana.

Ka puta te mahunga o Tohe i te moana, ka whakahaua e ia ngā toa ki te whakahoki i te kupenga ki uta. Ka tōia te tangere ki uta. Ka heke iho te iwi ki ngā toa, mangu ana te oneone i te tangata.

Ka takahia e Te Pokiha te oneroa, kai te murakehu tō tātau ariki, ka tu, ka karangangia e ia he rangatira ki a tu ki te oneone i pouhia ki tana rākau. Ka haere tu anō a Te Pokiha e kaute takahanga waewae anō te waha, ka iti e haere ana, ka tu, ka karangangia he rangatira tuarua ki a tū ki te wāhi i tohungia e Te Pokiha.

Ka mutu i a ia tana mahi whakatu rangatira ki ā rātau wāhi, he toru tekau mā whitu katoa ngā rangatira e tū mākao ana ki tātahi.

Kātahi ka tohungia e Te Pokiha ki a ia rangatira, he tahua ika, e rima rau ika ki te tahua kotahi, ka eke te rahi o te ika ki te rima rau ki ia tahua, ka uta anō he ika tae ki te kotahi mano ika ki ia tahua.

Ka mutu ka karangangia ngā hapū o Te Arawa ki te tiki i ā rātau ika.

Nō te rangi tuatahi o te tauhou, nō te tau kotahi mano, e waru rau, e waru tekau mā ono tēnei whakaaro nui a Te Pokiha ki te iwi.

English Translation

Directed by Tohe Te Whanarere, the band departed from the shores of Maketu and pushed out into the ocean.

Minutes turned into hours, and finally, under the direction of the sentinel, the call rang out, Haukoti mai surrounding it. A shoal of insignificance was spotted, and the great net was dropped.

The canoe dashed ahead of the shoal as the men fed out the kupenga encircling the children of Tangaroa.

The water teemed with life as Tohe descended from his high powerline perch, dropped all his clothing, smeared himself in red ochre and oil and dashed out into the ocean; he wasn’t worried about any of the sharks nor fish life as they had more pressing matters ahead of them, for instance trying to find an exit from their trap.

The woven net needs to be strong to trap the children of Tangaroa.

When Tohe made the center, he ordered the men to lift the knee of the kupenga, allowing a substantial number of fish to escape, for the old tohunga knew, that with the size of the net, the amount that they had caught was far too heavy for all who had gathered on the shore to pull from the ocean.

With great effort, posts were dug into the shoreline where the net could be fastened.

Eventually, the water receded, and the greatness of the catch could be admired.

Te Pokiha walked the length of the shoreline; he marked out 37 places and, at each spot, placed a representative.

He ordered that when each area reached 500 fish, another 250 would be added until each site got 1000 fish. To be presented to all sections of Te Arawa who were present.

The invitation was also accorded to the many Pakeha who had turned up in great numbers to witness all the commotion.

Te Pokiha Taranui, with his people, made the incredible haul at Maketu on New Year’s Day 1886.