With the death of Hikaawarua news returned to the people of Ngāti Tamakari.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
See below for English translation
Koi ano ko te mahi a te koingo, ehara me te harapaki kutu
Ka rūnanga ngā rangatira anake o Ngāti Tamakari me ngā hapū me ngā iwi o Te Rotoiti, nā Memeke te karanga ki ōna tangata.
Nā Hikaawarua ko Memeke, e tika ana hoki māna tēnei kōhuru e ranaki. Huihuia katoatia ngā rangatira, āe hoki te kaha o ngā whaikōrero e whia kē ngā rā rātou e matapaki ana, e aua hoki! Ā, nā wai rā kua tika katoa ngā whakatau a te rūnanga.
Mā Haukeka te pakihiwi toa o Memeke te tauā ranaki mate e arahina ki Puketi. Kāore i mōhiotia te ara i haerea e te tauā.
E whakapae ana ētehi mā ngā wai horahora o Te Rotoiti o Rotoehu o Rotomā kātahi kia takahia ngā whenua me te nehenehe i kitea ai e ngā manuao o Puketi a Hikaawarua e tāhere manu ana. Mā te pūtake o te maunga rangatira o Pūtauaki ka puta ai te tauā ki te pā o Puketi.Ki tūā o Tāneatua takiwā o Whakatāne.
Ko Te Ramaapakura te whetū tarakē o te Mangoroa mā tana ūpoko e takoto taurite ai te paepae o te utu. He toa rongonui a Te Ramaapakura kai te rangona tonutia te ingoa o tēnei toa ā moroki noa iho nei.
Kai ngā uri o Tuhourangi Kai Mātaotao he kōrero nui nāna, wheoi anō mā Tuhourangi tangata e waha. Kia titiro ai ngā kanohi ki te kohukohu ki ngā weriweri o Ruatahanua, ara ake anō he kōrero nui.
He kōrero teitei hoki e kawe ana i te ia o te toa whawhai. E ai ki ngā kaumātua ka pau i a rāua ngā rangi e whia kē rāua tahi ko Te Purewa e taumātakitahi ana.
Nā te kaha o ngā rangatira tokorua, ka houhoutia te rongo.
Ka hoki a Te Purewa ki te kohu ko Te Ramapakura ki ōna whenua noho ai.Kai ngā tahataha e rua o te matenga o Hikaawarua ēnei kaupapa.
Ka puta te ihu o te tauā i te nehenehe, takoto mārakerake ana te whenua.
Te Rangiunuora.
He mōhio pū nō ngā iwi kua rewa he tauā ngaki utu nō Te Rotoiti. Ki Puketi te tini me ngā rau tangata,rau wahine, rau tamariki e noho ana, hai piringa anō hoki te pā whakairo mō te iwi e riria ana.Ko Puketi te pā whakairo ko Whakatāne te awa, he pā maioro, he pā tūwatawata, e ai ki a tātou he pā whakairo.
Kāore e tikina rātou ki te pā he ope tapu tēnei kua pae ki te wahatieke. Ka hamama tona waha, ka karanga a Haukeka, ' Arara, arara, arara ki runga ki te pane o Te Ramaapakura’. Nohopuku kau ngā rangatira o Puketi. Ka noho i raro, karanga tuarua, karanga tuatoru – kātahi ka puta he toa nō Puketi.
He torekaihuruhuru nō rātou ehara i te mea he tūtūa, engari ehara hoki ia i a Te Ramaapakura.Ka whakatiponatia tana mere pounamu ki tana ringaringa, katahi ia ka tere ki te riri āpititū.
He mahanga te torekaihuruhuru ko Tākiri-ki-Ohau, he ahakoa te māiatanga nōna, he matakaikutu he pakoko a Haukeka, ka hinga te hoa ngangare i a ia, kai raro te ika a te ati e takawhetawheta ana, kai runga ko Haukeka.
Ka rere te pikituranga, he tao tana rākau riri, ka iti ki mua, ka wāwāhingia te tao ki te mere, ko te mere ki te rae o te ūpoko, inā te toatanga o Haukeka, tokorua ngā ika āna ki te kupenga kotahi. Rokohanga noa ngā kanohi kai te hiwi noa atu te pango o Te Ramaapakura e totohu haere ana.
Kua motu te manu i te koromāhanga. Wheoi anō ko te toatanga o te rā ki a Haukeka, ka titiro iho ki āna ika, ka puahina atu e ia tana pepeha, ' Koi anō ko te mahi a te koingo – ehara me te harapaki kutu!”.
With the death of Hikaawarua news returned to the people of Ngāti Tamakari, a council was immediately called by the leading chief, Memeke, who was the son of Hikaawarua.
The many loyal relations of Hikaawarua made their way to discuss the subsequent actions. It was obvious that there would be a strong response, and this needed to be vital to rebalance the scales but also to imbed a confronting message – that such discretions would be met with severe repercussions.
It was resolved that Haukeka, the son of Memeke and grandson of Hikaawarua, would lead the war party.
The path that Haukeka and his men travelled is unknown, and they may have travelled east over the three lakes before passing through the hunting grounds where Hikaawarua was spotted hunting birds, passing below the crown of Putauaki. It was a strong march with a single focus to draw out the prominent leader Te Ramaapakura; his death alone was fixed in the mind of Haukeka.
Te Ramaapakura was also an influential warrior chief who, throughout his lifetime, would come face to face with a handful of outstanding rangatira; among them was Tuhourangi and the famous Te Purewa, where an epic duel between these two men would be etched in the eyes of those who were present. These were incidents that happened either before or after the death of Hikaawarua.
Finally, having taken to the old war trail with a desire for revenge, the battalion led by Haukeka arrived before the site of Puketi, the fortified stronghold where, not too long ago, his grandfather, Hikaawarua, had been killed and consumed by the inhabitants. It was obvious that the people of the Awahou region had expected such a swift response as it was recorded that there was no resistance along the trail.
Artist Nigel Ogle’s display at the Tawhiti Museum.
The call was sent out immediately by Haukeka summoning Te Ramaapakura to front his weapon so that it may quench its thirst for revenge. Long did the warrior chief wait before finally a response was issued.
Out of the gate charged the eager warrior Tākiri-ki-Ohau, unknown to Haukeka at the time; so outraged was Haukeka by this action that he set about eradicating what would be the first catch of the day.
Though we may admire the bravery of Tākiri-ki-Ohau in a naïve attempt to bolster his reputation as a famous warrior – Haukeka was quick in dispatching this brave warrior.
In the background observing this duel was the twin brother Tākiri-Kiore, who, having witnessed the death of Tākiri-ki-Ohau, grabbed his fire-hardened tao and swiftly rushed to confront Haukeka whether blinded by rage or overcome with grief, the story of Tākiri-Kiore ends here too, for it was not long before the tao was shattered.
The blade of Haukeka was quickly withdrawn from the temple of his second victim. As he raised his eyes to those standing behind the impenetrable walls of native timber, again, the voice of Haukeka rumbled over the battlefield, calling out the name of Te Ramaapakura, who by this time had promptly made his escape.
The two corpses of Haukeka lay at his feet; looking down upon them, he uttered these words: ‘Koi ano ko te mahi a te koingo - ehara me te harapaki kutu.’
