Tainui Canoe Travels From Hawaiki To New Zealand
The Taiuni story continues, that when Hoturoa and Tama arrived and saw the canoes lying at anchor in the East Coast Bay, it was the night.
The could hear the people on board the other canoes snoring, so they thought these people had only just arrived, they were sleeping so soundly.
Tainui was beached, and Hoturoa and Tama jumped ashore and went in search of wood to perform their rites of propitiation of the spirits of the new land.
They found a Manuka tree where they set up their altar and offered up their incantations.
Then they went back to their canoe and decided to play tricks on the other canoes.
The dropped their own stone anchor, then replaced the anchors of the other canoes so that the ropes from the other canoes passed over the Tainui one.
Then they let out a long length of cable so that Tainui lay a long distance away.
When the people of the other canoes woke the next morning they saw the Tainui at her moorings, some distance away.
When everybody was awake Hoturoa and Tama set their men to work hauling in the mooring line, so that they could talk with the other sailors.
They described their long and tempestuous voyage, and then the captains began to argue as to which canoe had arrived first, with each claiming that honour.
Hoturoa and Tama said “It is no use arguing here, let us go and examine the posts of our altars onshore”
The others agreed to this and each Tohunga [Priest] went to their altars, and Hoturoa said, “Let us bring the posts of our altars and compare them”.
Hoturoa then claimed to the Tohunga’s that Tainui was the first to reach the new land, “Look at the post of my altar,” he said, “It is quite dry”.
The Tohunga’s asked, “Why was it that we did not see the Tainui when we arrived?”.
Hoturoa said, “I lengthened my mooring rope, for I was afraid that I might be left high and dry when the tide went out”.
“Look at the anchor ropes of your canoes, they all pass over mine”.
The others checked and found that Hoturoa was correct, that is the reason that Tainui has precedence when the names of the canoes are mentioned.
Hoturoa heard that Turi’s canoe, Aotea, did not remain at the place where all the canoes made landfall, but had continued along the coast towards north cape and had then sailed down the west coast.
[Today, cast in concrete at the township of Patea]
At the same time, Tama had heard that his original canoe, Poutini, had also gone along the coast to the west coast, via the north cape. So they hastened to follow.
The Tainui sailed along the coast to Tauranga, where they found that the Poutini had been there, but had continued onward.
They sailed northward to the Hauraki, where they found that the Poutini had been there sometime before.
The canoe went up the Tamaki river and landed the chief woman [and Hoturoa’s second wife] Marama-kikohure, and her male slave, the couple immediately indulged their love for each other, on her part it was the infringement of Tapu, but they thought they would not be found out.
When the Tainui arrived at the Tamaki Isthmus they saw the seabirds flying from the west and the seabirds from the Hauraki side flying towards the west.
Hoturoa sent a man to investigate and he reported that there was an ocean on the other side of the isthmus, so Hoturoa perceived that it would be a short way to the west coast if he dragged Tainui across to the western sea.
They used the narrow neck of land at what is now known as Otahuhu,
They had to remain in the Tamaki area for a period, collecting food, for they had eaten all their provisions on the journey.
Tama left them and went in search of his original canoe Poutini.
After he had left the Tainui was dragged by her crew across by way of Otahuhu.
This happened to be the same day that Marama-kikohure sinned with her slave.
Because of their sin, Tainui would not be shifted, Hoturoa began his incantations to no avail, so, knowing that Tama was a more powerful Tohunga, Hoturoa went in search of him,
Tama agreed to return and assist with an incantation he composed for the purpose.
It was with the recital of this incantation the people were first appraised of Marama-kikohure’s sin, and Hoturoa was enlightened that it was due to the misconduct of his wife that the canoe had stuck fast.
The Tainui now glided over the isthmus to Manukau, from where it could explore the west coast.
They sailed down the coast to Kawhia, where they arrived at the harbour entrance at night, and beheld Turi’s canoe Aotea
They paddled ashore and beached at Matatua Point, where the crew found a stranded whale, with a pole driven into it, to denote that it belonged to Turi.
Hoturoa went further on with Tainui, and landed at Heahea, and he went inland seeking suitable sticks for a plan.
He came to Karewa, and lit a fire and dried two newly cut Manuka sticks, one was to be used as a post for a Tuahu [Altar], the other, after he had returned to Matatua, he drove into the whale's belly, after the crew had rolled the whale over.
The crew then rolled the whale back as it was, with Turi’s pole sticking out of it.
The Tainui then paddled out to sea to await dawn.
When Turi and his people arose in the morning they saw a large canoe being paddled towards them, recognizing Tainui, due to the lack of figurehead on the bow and no decorated sternpost.
When Tainui came close he called to Hoturoa, “ O, Hotu, behold my land, there are many pipi shellfish beds, rivers full of fish, and behold my great fish from the ocean which lies yonder with my stake in it”.
Hoturoa replied, “ O, Turi, do not make a mistake”. “This is my home, I arrived here long ago, long before you, I saw that Tohora [whale] some time ago”.
Turi replied, “But why did I not see your pole of possession?”.
Hoturoa said, “Let us examine this fish”.
They arrived at the fish, and the tide was in, Turi asked Hoturoa, “Where is your post?” “Here is mine standing”.
Hoturoa replied, “ When I first discovered this fish it was alive and its belly was uppermost, I stuck my post into its belly”.
Then he said, “Let us turn the fish upside down”.
They turned the fish over, and found Hoturoa’s pole as he said it would be, then Hoturoa said, “Look at the post, it is almost dry”.
Turi looked and said, “It is even as you say, O, Hotu”
“Now, let us go to my altar”, said Hoturoa, and they went to Karewa and Hoturoa pulled out the altar post and showed to Turi, saying, “Look, the post is dry”.
Turi said, “It is true, you must have been here first, nevertheless, let us abide together”.
Turi went to sea in Aotea and travelled a short distance to the north and dragged Aotea onto a sheltered shore in the harbour now called Aotea.
Turi then found that Hoturoa had tricked him and said to his people of the Ngati Rongotea, “If we remain here Hoturoa will surely fall into mischief and bring about trouble”.
“The best thing for us to do is to go to the south”. and his people agreed, so they set sail for Taranaki and reached Poutama.
Hoturoa followed them in Tainui, as he was sailing along close to the coast he decided to stop at Whakarewa, and with some of his crew went on undercover to hunt Turi.
They overtook Turi when he landed at Waitara, and he said, “Let us remain together, for the land is plentiful for us both”
But Turi replied, “I cannot remain with you because you are an unscrupulous man and full of tricks”.
Hoturoa knew then that Turi had discovered his deceit about the whale and the altar, so he returned to Kawhia by land, leaving Tainui at Whakarewa.
The sub-tribe called Pangere remained with Tainui and thoughtlessly made a latrine of the canoe.
When Hoturoa heard of this he grieved for his canoe and climbed the heights of Moeatoa, where he made an altar of stone and invoked the aid of his gods to bring the Tainui safely to Kawhia.
The gods heard his voice and set Tainui afloat, and returned it to Kawhia, and the tide brought the canoe high and dry on the land where Hoturoa had made his first altar.
Hoturoa also cursed the sub-tribe for their evil deeds and they were wiped from the face of the earth, leaving only their name.
Thus ended the travels of Taunui
Hundreds of years later, as a pre-schooler, a group of us kids were taken to Kawhia and walked through the scrub too, what at the time, seemed an immense section of clear land, reasonably narrow, but stretching out for a long way, with nothing growing on it.
Like all kids, as you came out of the scrub and there was a clear space to run on, away I went.
I got maybe two paces when one of the old people grabbed my pants at the back, lifted me off my feet and set me down at his side, with a
“Nobody walks on the canoe”,
The area had a strange, like an “inside a church” feel to it,
The family moved shortly afterwards and I never got back to the site.
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/myths-and-legends-of-new-zealand-intro
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-this-series-began
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