Ka wehe ētehi, ka whaka-te-tokerau ētehi, ka whaka-te-hiwa ētehi, ka whaka-te-uru anō ētehi.
Ko te pahi a Ngātoroirangi iwhaka-te-runga ka takahia te nukuroa o te whenua, ka whaia rawatia e rātou te awa o Tarawera ka puta ki te pukaki o te awa ki te putake o Tarawera maunga e tūtū ana. Ka maranga ko Tamaohoi he koroua tino nui te wehi, he tohunga hoki ia, ā, he uri tuturu nō te hapūoneone. Ka rangona hoki e ia te wehi o Ngātoroirangi, ka whawhai rāua.
Kaua me penei i a tātou te tangata, ehara! He tuahangata kē ēnei tokorua. Ka karangahia te marangai, ka whiua te kānapanapa, hūtia ake ngā paiaka o ngā rākau nunui karawhiua kahangia me he tao — ka oti ana, pakaru ana te whenua, rū ana ngā tahataha nō te taunga o te puehua.
Ka hemo a Tamaohoi ka poua rawatia tēnei tohunga ki te whenua e Ngātoroirangi. Takoto e te matāika.
Ka oti ana te riri ka haere tonu tana pahi. Ka roa e haere tū ana ka whakawhiti i ngā whenua o Tumunui-Parekārangi, ka hipa Reporoa me te wai wawara o Huka ka tae ki ngā paiaka mātotoru o Tauhara maunga ki konei rātou hōpuni ai.
Ki tua o ngā wai karekare o Taupō tetehi kāhui rangatira e tū whakahī ana. Kāore ēnei maunga kia whakaingoangia e ngā Māori nei, whoi anō ka toko ake te hiahia o te ngākau o Ngātoroirangi ki te piki ake ki te taumata, he whakatu ahurewa te take.
Ka whakatakoto rautaki te pahi, aonga ake kua timatangia ki te piki. E mārō ana, e āuē ana ngā waewae, ka piki tonu rātou, ae, ka hemo ētehi, ka ora ētehi.
The sisters of Ngatoroirangi sent geothermal activity to warm their brother on Tongariro. Photo / NZME
Ko tētehi o ngā tupapaku ko Ngauruhoe, ka raupangangia tona tupapaku hai whakamāmā i te hiakai o te maunga. Kīhai i ngata te hiahia, kai te ngunguru tonu, kai te ngunguru tonu. Katahi ka whiua e te maunga tona ringa kaha ko Nukuteapiapi, he atua o te hau, o te marangai me te maeke — ka heke mai me te kaha o tana karawhiuwhiu i te pahi, ae, ka hemo anō ētehi o ngā tangata.
Kua pāngia te tapeha ki te kaha o te māeke e hakeke ana te tūara o te korokē ka karangahia te ora o ōna tuahine .
"Kuiwai e!, Haungaroa e!, ka riro au i te Tonga. Tukuna mai te ahi!"
Ka tonoa āna kupu ki te Hawaiki o ngā tupuna ka wahaina te hiahia e tōna atua ko Te Aputahi-a-Pawa.
Maranga ka tika te wairua o ōna tuahine ka tonoa ngā tupua tokorua nei, ko Kuiwai me Ko Haungaroa. Ka rukua ngā wai kanakana o te moana nui, ka mā te ara tupua ki Whakaari, ki Moutohorā, ka ū mai ki Te Moana o Toitehuatahi, haere tonu ko Okakaru, ko Rotomā, ko Te Rotoiti tae ki Tikitere ka wehe rāua ko tētehi ka haere atu ki Mokoia ki Ohinemutu, ko tētehi o rāua ki Waikawa, ki Tarawera ki Rotomahana e kimikimi ana e hahau ana i tō rātou tangata, kare e kitea.
Ka hui te tokorua ki te take o Pohaturoa, ka roa me te kaha o te tokorua e ngā ana ka pohutu mai ngā ngāwhā ka hua mai ngā waiariki, koia i tapangia ai tēnei wāhi ki te ingoa ko Te Puke-a-Te-Ruahine me te takiwā o te takere waka ki te ingoa ko Ngā Waiariki.
Whoi anō ka ora ngā tupua ka torotika ana te haerenga ki tō rāua tohunga ki a Ngātoroirangi.
Ae — ka ora ia, ka ora i te aroha o ōna tuahine waihoki te mana o ngā tupua nānā i kawea mai te ahi i Hawaiki i te pūrenga tapu o Ruaimoko hai oranga mōna mō tō tātou Ariki Ihorei mō Ngātoroirangi.
Te tupuna nana i takahi te nuku roa o te whenua e kokoia e ara e.
When the Arawa people had settled the Bay of Plenty, the leading chiefs, with their separate entourages, set off to familiarise themselves with the new land.
After some time, the priest Ngātoroirangi headed south, travelling down the Tarawera River. He continued past the mountain of Tarawera, where he was confronted by another great priest Tamaohoi.
Following this battle, he continued south, passing over the land blocks of Tumunui-Parekarangi before reaching the base of Tauhara mountain. Here they all rested.
In the distance, he spied the tremendous snowy peaks — and wishing to climb the mountain summit, he prepared himself and carefully selected a handful of followers.
One can only imagine the difficulties that these early explorers encountered as they pushed their bodies against the significant challenges of nature — many succumbed, and none more so than his loyal follower Ngauruhoe, who he offered as a gift to the giant feature.
Having not been appeased, the guardian of the range sent an incredible blizzard that came crashing down upon the travellers.
Mt Ngauruhoe.
Taken by the extreme cold, Ngātoroirangi was near death, and with his last remaining inner fire, he called to his sisters Kuiwai and Haungaroa, who were themselves learned women.
"Kuiwai e!, Haungaroa e!, ka riro au i te Tonga. Tukuna mai te ahi!"
"Oh Kui, Oh Hau, I have been captured by the southern winds. Send me fire!"
The strength of the priest's plea carried quickly across the waters upon the back of his god, Te Aputahi-a-Pawa.
When the appeal reached the ears of his sisters, they sent their ahitupua, Te Hoata and Te Pupu – the subterranean fire guardians who immediately departed Hawaiki.
Their travel route included the island of Whakaari, Moutohora; they then hit the shores of the Bay of Plenty, passing under Okakaru, Rotomā, Rotoiti. At Tikitere, they separated; one guardian travelled to Mokoia and Ohinemutu. In contrast, Te Hoata crossed to Waikawa, Tarawera and Rotomahana; they rejoined at Te Puke-a-te-Ruahine.
Here they rested, and through their panting, breathing and gasping Waikite, Pohutu, and the many other geothermal features throughout the valley came into existence what we today call the ngawhā and waiparu.
Hence the name of the region, Te Waiariki. Because as its name suggests, "The water of the gods!"
"Divine waters" were created by supernatural forces.
To conclude the story, Ngatoroirangi survived; the fire guardians restored their priest to life, allowing him to continue his great adventures throughout the country.
