Awarua, the taniwha of Porirua
Te akotanga o Awarua, te taniwha o Porirua, ki te rere.
He taniwha a Awarua, noho ai ia ki te whanga o Porirua, i ngā rau tau kua hori. I aua rā hoki, kapi katoa ngā pae maunga i ngā rākau Māori, ā, he hōhonu ake te whanga i aua rā, i tōna āhua i ēnei rā.
Haere ai a Awarua ki Te Moana o Raukawa, he whaiwhai ika, he tirotiro i ōna hoa ngā take. Engari, hokihoki tonu ana ia ki tōna kāinga, arā, te whanga o Porirua.
Ko Rereroa he toroa, koia tētahi o ngā tino hoa o Awarua. Tirotiro ai a Rereroa mō Awarua i roto i Te Moana o Raukawa, i a ia e rere haere ana. Kua heke iho a ia kua torotoro ōna parirau, kua rere te karanga a te toroa, kua harakoa katoa tōna hoa.
Roa tonu ngā tokorua nei e kōrero haere ana. He rawe katoa ki a Awarua te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero paki a Rereroa, mō ngā mano tau a ia e rērere haere ana, kāore noa he mate ki te hoki atu ki te tuawhenua, kua tau noa ki runga i te whatinga o te moana, whakaata ai, kai ai.
Kua whārōrō ngā parirau o Rereroa ki ngā hau e pupuhi mai ana, ki te whakaatu atu e pēhea ana te hiki o te hau i a ia ka kawea atu ki runga.
He parirau anō o Awarua, ēngari he pakupaku noa iho, he whāiti hoki te whānuitanga.
Ka whakamā katoa a Awarua, he kore nōna e āhei ki te rere, ahakoa tōna whakaata i tōna hoa. I kite tonu a Rereroa i te whakamātanga o tōna hoa, ēngari kāore tonu a ia i tino aro ake.
"Kia mōhio koe, ēhara tēnei mahi i te mahi whai māna. I ētahi wā ka mahara ake au, ka pai hoki ki te noho ki te wāhi kotahi, ka whai kāinga māku, pērā i a koe", ngā kōrero ngāwari a Rereroa.
Kāore tonu a Awarua i tino whai aro atu. "He hoa pai koe Rereroa, ā, kāore tonu au e pātai i tēnei pātai ki a koe, mēnā kāore e taea e koe..." ka whakaroa ake a Awarua, "Heoi, māu au e ako?"
Ka whakaaro muna ake a Rereroa, mō te mahi uaua o te whakaako i a Awarua ki te rere. Heoi anō, ka tukuna atu tōna takunga.
"Me rērere haere tonu au, kia kai au, kia ora hoki au! He mahi uaua hoki ki a au te noho ki te wāhi kotahi."
Tere tonu te whakautu a Awarua. "Tika tonu ka whāngaia koe ki ngā ika pai katoa o taku pātaka, ā, māu hoki e whakaatu mai ki a au ngā momo tū āhua o te rere haere."
Kāore hoki e taea e Rereroa te aha, ka whakaae atu a ia ki te āwhina i tōna hoa, ka tīmata ngā mahi whakapakari.
I te rā tuatahi o ngā mahi i te kaha āwangawanga a Awarua. Ka puta te kōrero a Rereroa ki a Awarua, he mahi uaua tēnei, arā, te rere, ā, he roa tonu te wā, ka mau i a koe.
"I te tuatahi, me whakakaha ake i ō parirau. Whai mai i a au ka kape i ōku nekehanga," ngā tohutohu a Rereroa.
Kātahi a Rereroa ka pakipaki i ōna parirau, me te haere anō o ana waewae, e huri haere ana i te whanga, ā, e whai ana hoki a Awarua i a ia. Nō te taenga atu ki te wāhi tīmata, kua pau kē te hau o Awarua.
"Tino uaua tonu tērā, kua pau te hau o ōku parirau," te kī a Awarua.
Ka whakautu atu a Rereroa, "I te wā e pīpī tonu ana te toroa ka pērā rātau. Kia kaha tonu ō parirau, kia hāngai hoki koe ki te kaupapa."
Ka ruku atu a Rereroa ki te papa o te moana, ka kohia e ia e rua ngā kōhatu nui. Ka raua e ia ngā kōhatu ki runga i ngā parirau o Awarua, ka kī atu ki a ia ki te hora i ōna parirau.
Ka tohutohu atu a ia ki a Awarua ki te whai i ōna nekehanga. Ka whakaarahia ake e Rereroa ōna parirau, kia pā ngā pito ki runga ake i tōna upoko. Ka whakamātau ake a Awarua, heoi he uaua ake nō te taumaha nā ōna parirau. Pau ana ērā nekehanga tekau kātahi anō ka tukuna e Rereroa a Awarua kia whakatā. Mahi tonu, mahi tonu, ka pau te rā, kua pau kē te hau o Awarua.
I te tōnga o te rā, ka tino whakatā ake a Awarua. Ka huri ōna whakaaro ki tōna hapa.
I te kitehanga a Rereroa i te rārangi ika, tuna hoki i roto i te pātaka o Awarua, mīharo ana ia. Arā noa atu ngā momo ika me ngā tuna e kaukau haere ana i roto i tōna hōpua, e tatari noa ana kia kainga e ia.
Ka kohia ake e Awarua tōna parirau, ā, kī ana i te ika mā Rereroa, ka tuohu ake a ia ka tikina atu ko ngā ika pai katoa, ka kī atu ki a Awarua kia whakahokia ake te toenga. Heoi, nā te matekai o Awarua, i runga hoki i ōna mahi rērere haere i ngā rā, ka kōpurupurutia e ia ngā ika rā ki tōna waha, kia pau atu. Ka tuohu atu a Awarua ki te hōpua, ki te tiki anō i ētahi, ka kuhu atu a Rereroa ki te ārai atu i a ia.
"Kei te whakapakari haere kē koe i nāianei, me tiro atu koe ki ngā kai e kainga ana e koe. Kore rawa au e kaha ki te rere, mēnā kei te taumaha tōku tinana," te kī a Rereroa.
Ka pōuri a Awarua, me tana tuku atu i ngā ika i haongia e ia, engari i te harakoa tonu, he noho mārō nō tana kaiako ki te kaupapa.
Maha noa ngā wiki e haere ana ngā mahi whakapakari a Awarua. Kāore i roa e reihi ana a ia i te whanga me te hiki anō i ōna parirau, kua māmā kē ki a ia.
Kātahi ka tau te rā, e tuku atu a Rereroa i tōna take kōrero.
"He ākonga tino pai koe, ā, he ākonga pukumahi hoki, ko taku whakaaro, kua reri koe mō tō rerenga tuatahi".
Harakoakoa ana a Awarua, "Ka wani kē, ka taea e au te rere ināia tonu nei."
Ao ake i te ata, he rā mārakerake, he āio hoki. Ka haria e Rereroa a Awarua ki te taha tonga o te whanga, ka tīmata tana whārōrō i ōna parirau, me te whakamahana i ōna uaua. Ka tohua e Rereroa kia haere a Awarua ki waenganui tonu o te whanga, ahu atu ana ki Whitireia, te maunga o konei.
"Kia hāngai tonu koe, whakamahia katoatia ō kaha me ō pūkenga, i whakapakaritia ai e koe, kia kaha hoki e kō," ngā tohutohu a Rereroa.
Ka hā whakaroto a Awarua, ka hāngai ki te pito tokerau o te whanga, kātahi ka haere. Ka tere haere a ia, me te kaha o ōna parirau, ka tere ake tōna haere. Ka tīmata te ripiripi haere o Awarua i te wai, ka ara ake tōna upoko, ka puta ake tōna hiringa kaha ki ōna parirau.
Ka kātata atu a ia ki tērā taha o te whanga, ka rongo a Awarua i tētahi reo e tioro ana i roto i tōna taringa.
Ko Rereroa e topa ana i tōna taha, e whakahau ana i a ia.
"Panga atu ō parirau ka rere!" te karanga a Rereroa.
Mai i tērā, ka kaha ake a Awarua, ka hiki ake a ia mai i te wai. Heoi, ko te maunga o Whitireia i mua tonu i a ia, kaha tonu a ia ki te hiki ake i a ia, engari kāore i taea. Pahū katoa i a Awarua ngā rākau e tipu ana i runga o Whitireia, nā tērā i ngāwari ai tōna taunga.
Ka puta ake a Awarua i ngā maramara rākau rā, e menemene ana.
"I kite koe, i kite koe i au e rere ana?" Tana kōrero atu ki tōna hoa.
Ka tau a Rereroa ki te taha o tōna hoa, ka awhiawhitia.
"Tō kino kē hoki, mīharo rawa atu, i kite au i a koe, ka rere anō koe," te kī a Rereroa.
Tere tonu te whakamātautau anō a Awarua. Ka puta anō ngā tohutohu a Rereroa, ka tīmata anō rāua. I tēnei wā, ka kaha kē atu te pakipaki ā ngā parirau a Awarua mai i te tīmatanga rā anō, ā, ka tere atu rā ia. Ka hiki a ia, ā, i teitei ake a ia i te wā tuatahi rā, ka hiki ki runga rā anō, māmā noa te hipa atu i te maunga o Whitireia.
Nā te kaha rikarika o Awarua, ā, he kaha hoki nōna ki te hāparangi, kāore i kite i te motu o Mana i mua tonu i a ia. Ka poua atu e ia te motu, e retireti ana, anō nei i te nōnoke i roto i te paruparu o te tai tumu.
Ka tau a ia ki te ākau, kāore he aha ki a ia, ko tōna noa iho, e whakahīhī ana mō tana rerehanga i te rangi.
Ka kata a Rereroa ki tōna hoa. Kua tutuki pai i a Awarua tōna ake whāinga, i runga hoki i tōna kaha.
Ka hoki anō a Awarua ki te whakamātautau haere i a ia, kāore tonu i tino roa tana rere haere, engari harakoakoa ana i eke a ia ki te rangi. Ka wehe atu a Rereroa i ngā moana uiruri, me tōna harakoa anō, i tutuki pai ōna akoakotanga.
Inā hoki ake ana a Rereroa mai i ōna haerenga, kua whakaatungia e Awarua ōna rēreretanga i akonga e ia, pahū ana te wai i ōna takahanga.
Ki tēnei rā ka kitea tonutia ngā rēreretanga o Awarua, puta noa i te rohe o Porirua. Tōna pahūtanga ake i te motu o Mana, i papatahi ai tōna āhua. Tae noa ki tōna tukitanga ki te maunga o Whitireia, ka oti tēnā moka, kua tapaina i nāianei ko te pāka o Onepoto.
Koinei te pūrākau o te akotanga o Awarua, te taniwha o Porirua, ki te rere.