The story of Tahupiki is attractive for many reasons.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
See below for English translation
Ko Tahupiki, ko Tahuwera, ko Waitaha Turauta
He puna wai i mahue i a au te kōrero, kai ētehi e mea ana kāhore a Tahupiki i eke mai i te waka o Hei o Waitaha o Tamatekapuame era atu o ngā rangatira nui i mahue atu ia ki Hawaiki Tawhitiareare, ā, nō muri i a Waitaha nō muri i a Hei ka hoe mai a Te Whatu o Ranganuku te waka i hoe mai a Tahupiki, nō te ūnga mai ki Whangarā, nō te weranga ki Whangarā ka huaina ko Tahuwera, nō te haerenga mai i uta ka huaina ko Waitaha Turauta.
Nā reira ēnei take take nui e whakamiharo tonu ai te tangata ki a Tahu, he ahakoa ko Tahupiki, he ahakoa ko Tahuwera ko Waitaha Turauta rānei, otia ana he tangata kotahi.
Kai reira anō he puna wai e mea ana ka wehe a Te Arawa i Rangiātea ka peke a Tahupiki ki te moana ka kau ki uta, ko Te Whatu a Ranganuku, he tiheru wai rongonui te take.
Ka mau i a ia i te tiheru, ka kite hoki nā ia te tokomaha o te tangata e tū nenehawa ana i uta.
Ko ngā toenga i mahue i uta, ko te tini o Waitaha.
Departure from Whangara.
He hiahia nō Tamatekapua kia wawe tana wehenga i uta kia tawhito noa atu ngā mamari o tona waka kai puritia ia e Ruaeo kai taronatia tana kaki ki ōna ringaringa.
Kāti, ka tahuri ngā mata rau o ēnei rangatira ki te tārai waka mō rātou, ka huaina ko Te Whatu a Ranganuku.
Ka tere te waka, ka hoea ngā wai uriuri o Kiwa ka ū ki Whangarā kai ētehi ko Te Wairarapa.
Ka whakamanuwhiringia rātou e Te Takanga, he rangatira nōna ngā whenua nei. Ka iti ki mua, ka nui ki muri, ka puta he whakararuraru i a rātou.
Ka wera ngā wharepuni, ā, ka huaina ko Tahuwera, kātahi ka wehewehe te pahi o Tahuwera, tētehi i whakararo ki ngā whenua o Te ka huaina ēnei rangatira ko Ngai Tahupō.
Ko Tahuwera mā i whakarunga ki Heretaunga, ki kōnei ka tūkinongia rātou, ka kaha tonu, haere a Nukutaurua, ka tūwhakakinongia rātou, nā wai, nā wai, nā wai ka puta ki Opotiki ka pātaingia o rātou tini whānaunga ko Ngāti Ohomairangi, ko te whakahoki, haere ki Maketu, ka takahia te oneone, ka puta ki Otamarākau.Ko Uruika te rangatira. E naumai ana te pahi haere, he ahakoa he pioi, ka whakamanuwhiringia rātou e Uruika. Nā wai, ka moe ngā iwi e rua nei. Ka puta ki waho ko ngā uri. Mai i Otamarakau huri whakaroto ki ngā roto moana o Rotomā o Rotoehu ka kitea tonutia ngā uri o Tahu o Tahuwera e tukituki whenua ana, ā, hai whakamaumahara i tana haerenga mā uta, ka huaina ko Waitaha-Turauta.
English Translation
The story of Tahupiki is attractive for many reasons.
In last week’s edition, we shared a story of how Tahupiki travelled upon Te Arawa and, with his people, decided to stay and occupy Whangarā.
Before being attacked they then decided to depart in search of their relations with the people of Ngāti Ohomairangi.
Here, our attention turns to the renaming of Tahupiki, where, rising from the ashes of his burnt house, he takes the name Tahuwera before commencing his journey overland.
Another version of this chief Tahupiki is that as the waka departs from Hawaiki Tawhitiareare, he throws himself overboard and swims back to shore to retrieve the sacred water bailer, Te Whatu a Ranganuku. When he recovers the bailer, he is stunned to stumble across a group of people who identify as followers of Waitaha.
They are left stranded due to the swift departure of Tamatekapua from the shore. Least he is caught with the wife of Ruaeo.
Collectively, those stranded banded together to build a sea voyaging vessel named Te Whatu a Ranganuku.
They set sail and berth on the east coast of the north island. Two areas are identified as possible landing sites. Wangarā and Wairarapa.
Here, Te Takanga, a local chief of the area, initially looked after them, but it seems that the romance period was short-lived; eventually, the two groups fell out.
Tahupiki and his people were viciously attacked, but the advice given to them by their atua Kahukura ensured their survival.
Tahupiki and his people survive the attack, and he now takes the name Tahuwera before they all depart overland in search of a more hospitable place to settle down.
The people divide themselves into two groups: one travels north, and the other party travels south.
Due to the extent of his injuries sustained in the fire, it was also said that he was carried by his people overland until they reached Heretaunga; being ill-treated by the local people, they then moved on towards Nukutaurua where unfortunately again they suffered the same indignity.
As they travelled, very few people extended hospitality to Tahuwera and his people; it seemed that wherever they stopped, they were ill-treated.
Finally, their travels bring a sense of reward for when they arrive at Opotiki.
Here, they ask the inhabitants about the whereabouts of the Arawa people and their relatives, with a new course directing the group towards Maketu.
Tahuwera and his people never make Maketu, for when they stop in at Otamarakau, Uruika welcomes them; here, Tahuwera and the children of Uruika intermarry and occupy from the coast inland towards the lakes of Rotomā and Rotoehu. Tahuwera, formerly Tahupiki, takes the name Waitaha-Turauta to commemorate this mammoth undertaking.
