Kāhu ki Rotorua: He tohunga whaiwhaiā hoki - Feared tohunga calls down revenge on island

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Tērā tētehi motu, ko Motu-a-tara tōna ingoa e huna nei i ngā wai o Te Rotomā.

Ko Te Rotomā tētehi o ngā roto-moana huhua o te takiwā waiariki puta noa atu ki Te Rotoiti. O ngā roto moana e takoto mai nei ki te taha hiwa, ko Te Rotomā te mea itiiti o tēnei hunga.

Mā te rori matua i Rotorua ki Whakatāne ka hipa te tangata i ngā moana waihoki i Te Rotomā, rānei e Whakatāne mai ana ki Rotorua, ko Te Rotomā tētehi o ngā moana ka hipangia. Ka kitea te papai o te wai , ara, te mā o nga wai kanakana.

Nō Ngai Tuahuriri te mana o tēnei motu, he iwi heke iho i a Waitaha-a-Hei. He tamaiti a Waitaha nā Hei rangatira o Te Arawa waka.

Whoi anō koia wēnei te iwi. Me te tokomaha hoki o ngā rangatira me ngā toa, me ngā wāhine me ngā tamariki, ka hia rau tangata.

Engari ko te tino o rātou ko tētehi tohunga, ko Te Raraumaiwaho. Kātahi tēnei tohunga. He tohunga mataku, he tohunga whaiwhaiā hoki. I nui rawa tōna mana ka wehi katoa ngā tangata i a ia, ka hakeke kau ngā tuara o ngā toa i ta rātou kitehanga i a ia. Mataku ana.
Koia anō hei pepeha māna, ko Te Rarau wāhi uho tawatawa.

Ka nui āna haerenga, ka mā waka ki uta i Motutara ka takahia te ara ki Whakatāne ka hinga ngā pae maunga me ngā kūmore i ōna waewae.

Ko te wānanga tahi me ngā tohunga i Whakatāne te take ki reira, kāore e kore he wehi pea nō ngā koroua i reira ki a ia ka hākoakoa ai ngā whakaaro i tana wehenga atu. Whoi anō, tērā tētehi wā kua oti i a ia tana wānanga me ngā tohunga ka hoki mai ia ki Motu-a-tara.

Ka roa e haere ana, ka roa e haere ana ka puta ki te onepū o Te Rotomā. E tatari ana kia tikina mai ia e tētehi o āna tapeha tata, e tū ana, e tū ana, kāore anō kia puta mai tētehi, ka hāmama te waha o te tohunga, tē aro mai tētehi ki tana hāmamatanga, ka rua, ka toru.

Ka wera te puku o te tohunga nei, ka ngaro atu ki tētehi hopua wai, ko Te Waitiheru o Te Raraumaiwaho te ingoa.

The lagoon still visible today known as Te Waitiheru o Te Raraumaiwaho.

Ka tahuri ki te patu i tōna iwi. Ka noho ki te ahurewa ka karakia ki ngā atua o te pō, o te moana, o te rangi o te raro-whenua, o te raro-moana.

Ka tāhuri mai ngā taniwha o te moana, o te Rotomā ka anga torotika rātou ki te karikari i te tumu o te motu e ngāhoro ai ki ngā wai uriuri.

Ki Motu-a-tara te iwi e tū ana, e mātakitaki ana i te tohunga e karakia ana, he ahakoa e kūare ana rātou ki tana mahi, whoi anō ka kaha te whakatoi me te whakaiti a te korokē rā, he pōhēhē nō rātou kua pōrangi i tana pukuriri ki a rātou.

Koropupū ana te moana, ka ngāueue te motutere, ka mānukanuka ngā whatumanawa o te iwi, anā kē te mahi a te tohunga, he patu i a rātou. Ka ara ake te tika o te wairua o te rangatira ka tonoa ngā toa ki uta ki te kohi i tō rātou tohunga, e hika mā, kua oma kē e kore a muri e hokia. Ko ngā toa i kōtahi atu ki ngā waka, ae, ka hōea te moana, kāua ki te tohunga engari ki te hauāuru kē, e oma atu ana rātou ki tāwāhi kia kāua rātou e hinga i ngā mahi whaiwhaiā nei.

E tōtohu ana, e tōtohu ana te moutere – ki uta te tohunga e hīkoi takiwā ana, inā te mana o Te Raraumaiwaho, pakū kau te rangi, he hiko e kanapanapa ana i te pae o te rangi, ka ngaro te motutere i te au kume o te moana me ngā taniwha o Te Raraumaiwaho. Ka mate te iwi. Tērā ētehi ka kīa he mōrehu tēnei hunga.

Koia wēnei ngā manukāwhaki, ka rere ki uta, ka rere ki te tāhūhū roa o Te Wai Pounamu kai reira te iwi inaianei e tū ana, ko Ngāti Tuahuriri e ai ki ngā kaumātua o Ngāti Pikiao ko te hunga ora kāore i hinga i ngā karakia whaiwhaiā nei.

Whoi anō he toto Te Arawa nei hoki rātou. He tapeha tata ki a tātou. Ko tō tātou tohunga a Te Raraumaiwaho, e noho taratahi nei, kāore tētehi iwi, tētehi hapū e tāhuri mai ki a ia. He wehi nō rātou ki te mana o tēneI tohunga, ka hē pea rātou ka patua hoki rātou e Te Raraumaiwahi kai rite ki Motu-a-tara te moutere ki wē moana.

Ka takahia te nuku o te whenua e tēnei tohunga, he ahakoa ka hoki ia ki Whakatāne kāore hoki rātou e tāhuri mai ki a ia, ki whea, ki whea hakoke ai tēnei tangata, ko tona kotahi.
Ki whea mate atu ai – e āua.

Nā reira tēnei pūrākau mō te motu ka ea i te moana o Te Rotomā ko te toi anahe hai ētehi wā ka kitea i te timunga o te wai, ā, ka kaha uangia ai te takiwā, ka horomia anōngia e te moana.

The island Motu-a-tara lies in the central-southern part of Lake Rotomā, one of the many lakes known in the Bay of Plenty district.

Lake Rotomā is the small lake that one passes when driving to Whakatāne from Rotorua or vice versa. Ngāi Tuahuriri originally occupied the island, the people of Tuahuriri, a descendant of Waitaha a Hei.

The island area supported a significant population with many capable leaders, providers and fighting men, but more so, Motu-a-tara was the home also of the feared tohunga.

Te Raraumaiwaho. He was the head priest of the area; all people feared him, even the bravest of fighting warriors gave Te Raraumaiwaho wide berth when he approached them.

When this priest wasn't busy tending to the duties of his people, he would often be transported to shore by a relation before making his lonely journey over the rugged ranges that separated the Whakatāne and Rotomā area.

Within Whakatāne, this old priest would extend his learnings by conversing with other priests, though it can also be presumed that the local people were just as happy to see him leave.

The island Motu-a-tara lies in the central-southern part of Lake Rotomā.

On one occasion, when Te Raraumaiwaho concluded his business in Whakatāne, he returned to his people residing upon Motu-a-tara island. Standing on the shore, the priest called out to his people to send over a canoe so that he could rejoin his clan. As this old priest stood upon the shoreline, time passed, and before long, the priest's temper started to boil in his belly.

With the tohunga in a state of fury, he slowly made his way to a lagoon still visible today known as Te Waitiheru o Te Raraumaiwaho.

The old priest decided to punish his people and resort to incantations. As he sat next to the outlet of the slow-flowing waters that fed the lake, he summoned his guardians to work on the island's foundation.

The Motu-a-tara community watched from the safety of the island as the priest made fanciful movements with his arms, his hands flaring towards the sky, his voice rising in a high pitch that even the dogs on the island began to howl.

So amused, the islanders, thinking the priest had utterly lost his mind. As they began to jeer at Te Raraumaiwaho, the island started to shake.

The water surrounding the edge of Motu-a-tara began to bubble.

Gradually, the water made its way up on shore — the entire community were now in a state of fear and panic. The chief called to his warriors to fetch the old priest — no sooner had the warriors bordered their canoes, they were making off in the opposite direction taking with them their families, for they knew that they had insulted this priest, and all was now lost.

Motu-a-tara, with its inhabitants, started sinking into the dark waters of Rotomā, and within time, the island had disappeared. Many drowned, those who did manage to escape fled the area of Rotomā but also the North Island migrating to the deep South where today their descendants can be found. They are identifying themselves today still as Ngati Tuahuriri.

Te Raraumaiwaho had now ex-communicated himself from contact with all people, for the story of the priests' revenge travelled swiftly throughout the area, installing fear in the hearts of many.

Finding himself alone, he continued to his life with nature dying alone.