Kāhu ki Rotorua: Chief's wife went mad waiting for her lover

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See below for English translation

Ko Te Parekarangi o Waiarohi

Me he tangata hakoke koe ki Horohoro ki Ātiamuri rānei ki ētehi atu o ngā kāinga kai tērā takiwā ki tūā o Rotorua ka kitea rā e koe tētehi maunga iti nei e tūmatahao nā. Koia te manu tākaha, manu tūtei e ai ki ngā kaumātua onamata mō ngā whenua o Parekarangi huri noa taua whaitua.

Ki kō atu ko te pane o Horohoro te māunga rangatira o tēnei whenua. Wheoi anō rā he wā anō ki a ia ā te wā tika.

Kua tae mai tēnei kōrero ki ahau. E rua ngā momo o tēnei tātai kōrero. Wheoi anō anei tēnei.

I kaha nōhia ēnei takiwā o te waiariki e ngā uri o Tūhoromatakaka. Ki runga o Te Pukeroa rātau noho ai, ko ētehi anō ki te pūtake o Moerangi whaihoki ki tēnei pīhi whenua o Parekarangi anō nei e noho ana, koia ko Ngāti Huarere he uri nō tēnei tupuna onamata heke iho i a Tūhoromatakaka, te mātāmua a Tamatekapua.

A kāti ki tūā o Te Whetungū rātau noho ai.

Ko Ruamano te rangatira i tēnei wā. Koia te uri nui i heke iho i a Huarere. Ko te wāhi e tu ai tō rātau pā taunaha āhua pā tata ki ngā whenua o Ngāti Raukawa. Ehara i a rātau ngā uri o Tamatekapua. He uri kē rātau nō Hoturoa, te rangatira nui o Tainui waka, Tainui tangata.

Nā te mea he rangatira nui ia ka whakamanuwhiringia e ia ngā rangatira huhua o taua takiwā. Ko Whaita tētehi. Nō Ngāti Raukawa tēnei amokura. Kāti. Ko Waiarohi te mākau rangatira o Ruamano e noho āīō kau ana rātau ko te hūnuku ki tēnei whenua.

Ka puta mai he pioi, ehara kē, te kitehanga tuaruatanga ko Whaita kē he kanohi mōhio. E nau mai ana ki te pahi haere nei. He tikanga nui tēnei onamata, kia rangimārie ai ngā whenua. He ahakoa e mea ana ko te ūmanga nui o nehe he riri, tērā anō ētehi o ngā rangatira e noho puku ana.

Ka moe te manuwhiri, ka huri ngā rangi, ngā wiki, ā, nā wai rā kai te takiwā te kōrero kua taea a Waiarohi e Whaita.
He ahakoa tēnei tinihanga e moho nei tō tātau rangatira a Ruamano. Ka roa te tinihangatanga o Ruamano e Whaita me Waiarohi, ka tae te kōrero ki te hoi taringa o Ruamano.

Kua mōea tana mākau e tana manuwhiri. Koropupu kau ana te wera o te puku engari e noho manuwhiri nei a Whaita. Ka tatari ki a wehe ia otīā rātau ko tana hūnuku. Ka rūnanga ngā hōkai taumata ki te whakatakoto rautaki ki te patu i ngā heahea.

Āe, kai te rīnoi ngā whēkau, wheoi anō rā ka tāmi e Ruamano te hiahia ki te hahau i a Whaita. Ka noho i te rangatira nei ka whākina e ia te rautaki a ōna toa. Ka wehe ia. Ka puta a Whaita i te pā taunaha e ahu ana te ihu ki te kāinga engari mā huarahi kē atu kai patua rātau ko āna tangata.

E noho ana te kokoti, kai te tatari, kai te tatari, kāore rawa i puta mai. Ka oma ngā pūniho ka rokohanga a Whaita ki huarahi kē atu. Ka riria rātau. Ko Whaita me te tokoiti i ora koia nei ngā manu kāwhaki.

Nā tēnei parekura nui ka tīhaea rawatia te tarouma o Waiarohi. He mōhio nōna ka kore tana matahīapo e hoki mai ki ōna ringaringa. Nō reira kua takahia e ia ngā mānia, he whakangākau nōnā ki tāna tahu, kai te tangi, kai te āuē, nā tēnei āhuatanga whakamomori, ka tapā tētehi wāhi ko Te Parekarangi o Waiarohi.

E whakamomori ana te ngākau ki a rere i te pari, ka tapā anō tētehi wāhi ko Te Hereherenga. I tapangia nā runga i te hereherenga o ōna waewae me ōna ringaringa kia kāua ia e rere i te pari.

Ka nahanaha te ngākau ka murukehu tonungia tō tātau tupuna i ōna whenua. Ka piki ki te taumata o tētehi maunga ka hāpa rangi ki ngā atua ki te whakahoki i tana whaiāipo ki a ia. Nā reira ka tapangia te māunga ko Te Hāparangi.

Kāore i rite ki ngā tuhinga a te Hākipia ka moe tahi rāua, e kao. Ko te rite ia ki te tāwhao e pōtere kau i te wai kua kawea atu tana tangata ki pāmamao kāore i hoki mai.

If you travel towards Horohoro and onwards to Atiamuri and other places South of Rotorua, you will notice a sizeable conical hill standing watch over the Kapenga, Parekarangi plains.

The more prominent bluff of Horohoro dominates the sky range and stands sentinel for the people of Ngāti Kearoa and Ngāti Tuara.

But Horohoro has its own story.
There are two versions that the writer has heard regarding the naming of the conical hill Hāparangi and how also the area became known as Parekarangi.

The children of Tūhoromatakaka once occupied the southern parts of Rotorua. His descendants took up residence upon Te Pukeroa before moving out towards Moerangi.
Another branch, the Ngāti Huarere, was found occupying the southwest of the Rotorua township. Just beyond Te Whetengū.

Ruamano was a man of reputation during his time and was an acknowledged war chief for the Ngāti Huarere tribe. Due to the location of his village, leaders like Ruamano devised ways to maintain peace with their neighbouring tribes. In this case, the Ngāti Raukawa and their chief Whaita,who descended from the great Hoturoa, the courageous leader of the Tainui people.

Ruamano had taken to wife a beautiful woman named Waiarohi, and together with the people of Ruamano, they lived peacefully at Parekarangi. As was the nature of the past, chiefs would often visit each other, among many things, to ensure that tribal relationships were perpetuated, avoiding potential conflicts.

The chief of the Ngāti Raukawa, Whaita and his people called in as guests to the village of Parekarangi, where he was entertained by the chief Ruamano. Something also typical of the past was love's power and untimely appearance. Whaita and Waiarohi were physically drawn to each other.

Whaita must have stayed quite a while, for it was not long before rumours were astir that the two were secretly seeing each other.
Ruamano, the host chief, was made aware of what was happening; however, seeing that Whaita was a guest, he could not openly avenge the insult. Therefore, a plan was created by his fellow chiefs that on the departure of Whaita and his troupe from the village, at a designated area, they would lay an ambush and overthrow the Ngāti Raukawa.

Now, during this period, something that may seem very peculiar to us today was that deep in the heart of Ruamano, he could not allow Whaita to walk into this trap. He advised the chief to travel via a different route.

Whaita left with his men, leaving behind Waiarohi. With the web laid, the warriors of Ruamano waited, and when it was apparent that they had not appeared, warriors were immediately scattered to locate the travelling party.

When they were discovered, the force of Ruamano fell upon the Ngāti Raukawa, killing many. However, Whaita escaped.

This great victory tore at the heart of Waiarohi, who was said to have wandered the area and contemplated ending her life by leaping from a cliff face that was later named Te Hereherenga. For to save her life, her friends bound her legs and arms.

When she calmed herself, she roamed the landside again, and a site was named Parekarangi as she continued to move around the lands, talking to herself, pining for her lover's return.

Finally, upon the conical hill, she would often sit and call for the return of Whaita again to be with her. Sadly, for her this never happened.