ARAWA AND TAINUI
If the genealogies of the Maori race can be relied upon, it may be
accepted as a fact that the immediate ancestors of Te Rauparaha came
to New Zealand in the canoe Tainui, which is said to have been the
first vessel of the fleet after the Arawa, prepared for sea. By an
unfortunate circumstance there sprang up between the crews of these
two canoes a fatal rivalry, which repeated acts of aggression and
retaliation were continually fanning into open ruptures, even after
they had landed and were widely separated on the shores of New
Zealand. This ill-humour, according to the tradition, was first
engendered by Tama-te-kapua, the chief of the Arawa, depriving the
Tainui of her high priest, Ngatoro-i-rangi, by inviting that renowned
_tohunga_ on board his vessel for the purpose of performing some
of the all-important ceremonies which the complex ritual of the Maori
demanded on such occasions, and then slipping his cable and putting to
sea before the priest had time to realise that he had been
deliberately led into a trap. But this act of treachery on the part of
the bold and unscrupulous captain cost him dear, and bitterly must he
have repented before the voyage was over his trifling with the dignity
of so consummate a master of magic as Ngatoro-i-rangi. But that story
belongs to the voyage of the Arawa. Of the voyage of the Tainui, under
Hoturoa, we know little; but presumably she had a comparatively
uneventful passage until she touched land at a point near the
north-east end of the Bay of Plenty, which her people named
Whanga-poraoa, for the reason that there they found a newly stranded
sperm-whale. But scarcely had they disembarked than a dispute arose
between them and the Arawas, who had beached their canoe at a spot
close by, as to the ownership of the carcase. The result of the debate
was an agreement, arrived at on the suggestion of a Tainui chief,[6]
that the crew which had first touched land should be the acknowledged
owners of the fish, and to establish the date of arrival it was
further agreed that they should examine the sacred places which each
had erected on the shore, and on which they returned thanks to the
gods for guiding them safely across the ocean. Here the ingenuity of
the Arawa people enabled them to outwit the Tainuis. While the latter
had built their shrine of green wood, the followers of Tama-te-kapua
had taken the precaution to dry the poles of their altar over the fire
before sinking them into the sand. Precisely the same process had been
applied to their hawsers, so that when the examination was made for
the purpose of determining priority of arrival the Arawa temple
carried with it the appearance of greater age, and the Tainuis,
without detecting the trick, conceded the point and yielded the prize
to their rivals.
[Illustration: DEPARTURE OF "THE FLEET" FOR NEW ZEALAND.
From a painting by K. Watkins, Auckland,
by kind permission of the artist.]
Hoturoa then decided to make further explorations to the north, and
moved off in that direction with his canoe, to be followed a few days
later by the Arawa. The Tainui skirted the coast, noted and named many
of its prominent features as far as the North Cape, and then, as the
land terminated at this point, the canoe was put about and retraced
her course as far south as Takapuna.[7] Here a halt was called, and
exploring parties were sent out to ascertain if all the district
promised was likely to be realised. Upon ascending one of the many
hills[8] which mark the landscape in this particular locality, the
voyagers were surprised to observe flocks of sea-birds, some flying
over from the westward, others wheeling with noisy flight in mid-air.
To the experienced eye of the native, who had been bred on the borders
of the sea, this circumstance bespoke a new expanse of water to the
west. The canoe was once more launched, and on their crossing the
Wai-te-mata[9] harbour a critical examination of the eastern shore
revealed to the astonished visitors the fact that a narrow portage
existed at the head of the Tamaki River, over the ridge of which lay
another arm of the sea, apparently as wide and as deep as that which
they had just entered.
In the meantime they had been joined by the Tokomaru canoe, and the
joint crews decided upon the bold scheme of hauling their vessels over
the narrow portage at Otahuhu.[10] The Tokomaru was the first to be
taken across, and under the guidance of the chiefs she glided with
perfect ease and grace over the carefully laid skids into the deep,
smooth water. But when the drag-ropes were applied to the Tainui, pull
as they would, she remained fast and immovable. Tradition says that
Marama-kiko-hura, one of Hoturoa's wives, being unwilling that the
weary crews should proceed at once upon this new expedition, which the
chiefs were evidently projecting, had by her power as an enchantress
so rooted the canoe to the ground that no human strength could move
it. Against this supernatural agency the stalwart boatmen struggled
unavailingly, for, although there was a straining of brawny arms, a
bending of broad backs, and much vocal emulation, inspired by the
lusty commands of those in authority, the charm of the enchantress
could not be broken. In this distressful emergency the womanly
sympathy of a second wife of the chief was stirred within her, and
she, being even more gifted in the art of magic than her sister,
chanted an incantation so great in virtue that instantly the spell was
loosed and the wicked work of a disappointed woman undone.[11]
The song which was chanted on this memorable occasion has long since
been embalmed amongst the classics of the Maori, and has become the
basis of many another chant which is used while canoes are being drawn
down to the sea.
"Drag Tainui till she reaches the sea:
But who shall drag her hence?
What sound comes from the horizon?
The Earth is lighting up,
The Heavens arise,
In company with the feeble ones
Welcome hither! Come, O joyous Tane!
Thou leader and provider.
Here are the skids laid to the sea,
And drops the moisture now from Marama,
Caused by the gentle breeze
Which blows down from Wai-hi;
But still Tainui stays,
And will not move.
Red, red is the sun,
Hot, hot are its rays,
And still impatient stands the host:
Take ye and hold the rope,
And drag with flashing eyes
And drag in concert all.
Rise now the power
To urge. She moves and starts,
Moves now the prow,
Urge, urge her still."
Under the exhilarating influence of the singer's musical voice,
together with a profound faith in her skill as a mistress of magic,
the weary crews once more bent themselves to their task. Their renewed
efforts were rewarded with success; for with one vigorous pull the
canoe was seen to move, and was soon slipping and sliding on her way
to the bosom of the bay below.[12] Once fairly launched, the Tainui
was soon speeding her way to the open sea; and, having successfully
crossed the Manukau bar, she passed out into the Western Ocean to
battle with adverse winds and tides. Evidently, the physical features
of this coast were not greatly to the liking of the explorers. Unlike
the eastern side of the island, there were fewer shelving beaches and
favourable landing-places; the predominating aspect was high and
abrupt cliffs, fringed with jagged and evil-looking rocks, against
which the surf beat with deafening roar. The sea, too, was much more
turbulent; so that, after travelling only some eighty miles, the canoe
was headed for the sheltered harbour of Kawhia,[13] and there Hoturoa
and the tribes who accompanied him determined to bring their
wanderings to an end.
The canoe which had brought them safely over so many miles of open
ocean was hauled to a secure spot on the beach, there to await the
ravages of decay, the spot where she rested and finally rotted away
under the _manuka_ and _akeake_ trees being still marked by
two stone pillars,[14] which the natives have named Puna and Hani. The
next thing was to erect an altar to the gods for having thus far
prospered their journey. The spot chosen was that afterwards called
Ahurei, in memory of their old home in Tahiti;[15] and, doubtless for
the same sentimental and patriotic reason, the spot on which the wives
of Hoturoa first planted the _kumara_[16] was called Hawaiki. With
these preliminaries settled, the pilgrims from the east were now faced
with the most serious duty of all, to arrive at an equitable division
of the new land which was about to become their permanent home. What
method of adjudication was employed in the apportionment we cannot now
say; but two main divisions mark the final arbitrament. The Waikatos
occupied the country from Manukau in the north to the Marokopa River
in the south, while the tribe afterwards known as Mania-poto occupied
a domain which extended from that point to one about two miles south
of the Mokau River. Within these comprehensive boundaries was embraced
the acknowledged territory of the numerous sub-tribes; but to only two
of these need we refer at this stage, namely, to the Ngati-toa, who
lived on the shores of Kawhia Bay, and to the Ngati-Raukawa, who had
settled further inland, in the country of which Maungatautari is now
the centre.
When the Tainui people landed on the shores of Kawhia and began to
spread their settlements throughout the valleys of the district, they
did not find, as they might have expected, an empty land. At some
time, and by some means, man had already established himself in New
Zealand, and before the organised migration, of which the Tainui was a
part, had set sail from Rarotonga, the country was already extensively
peopled. Whether these _tangata whenua_, as the Maoris called
them, were Polynesians like themselves, and the fruits of some of the
prior migrations which are known to have taken place, or whether they
were a lower order of mankind struggling through the process of
evolution to a higher plane of civilisation, is a point which cannot
well be debated here. But whatever manner of men they were who lived
in the balmy climate of Kawhia, they were already well established
there in their villages and gardens, and for many generations--perhaps
for many centuries--they had been burying their dead in the secret
caves which honeycombed the limestone cliffs that rise in beetling
precipices sheer from the harbour's edge. Although they are generally
credited with being a less combative and virile race than the fierce
and hardy tribes who came with the fleet, they were not disposed to
surrender or divide their estate without a struggle, and Hoturoa found
that, if he was to become master of Kawhia, it could only be as the
outcome of a successful war. But Kawhia was a country worth fighting
for. Early travellers through New Zealand, who saw it before the
devastating hand of man had marred its beauties, speak with eloquent
enthusiasm of its extremely picturesque and romantic landscape.[17] At
full tide the harbour shines in the sunlight like an unbroken sheet of
silver, in which the green and gold reflections of the surrounding
bush are mirrored and magnified. For many miles in length and breadth
the sea runs inland from the bay's bar-bound mouth, stretching its
liquid arms right to the base of the mountains which encircle the
harbour like a massive frame. Rugged and picturesque are these
mountains, with their cloak of deep verdure, through which huge masses
of limestone rock protrude their white faces, suggesting the bastions
of some old Norman tower covered with gigantic ivy. So marked, in
fact, is this resemblance, that the character of the peaks has been
preserved in their name--the Castle Hills.[18] Down the sides of these
slopes run innumerable streams, the largest being the Awaroa River,
which enters the harbour at the north-east end, where the scenery
attains its most impressive grandeur. A little to the north-east of
Kawhia, and over the ranges, lies the broadly-terraced valley of the
Waipa, and between this district and the harbour stands "an ancient
and dilapidated volcano," called Pirongia, upon which the evening sun
directs its blood-red darts, lighting up its many peaks and towers
until they resemble a giant altar raised by some mighty priest. The
climate, too, is mild and soft, like that of Southern Spain, and there
the orange and the lemon might bud and blossom with all the
luxuriance found in the valleys of Granada.
Such was the home in which the people of the Tainui canoe sought to
gain a footing, when they abandoned their vessel; but these exiles
from far Hawaiki were yet to pass through the bitter waters of
tribulation before their arms were blessed with success and their
claims ceased to be contested. In the quaint language of an old
_tohunga_ we are told: "In the days of the ancient times the
descendants of those who came in the Tainui made war on the people who
had occupied the interior of Waikato. These people were called Te
Upoko-tioa, and were the people who had occupied the land long before
the Tainui arrived at Kawhia. These people were attacked by those who
came over in the Tainui. The men they killed, but the women were saved
and taken as wives by the Tainui. Those who attacked these people were
of one family, and were descended from one ancestor, who, after they
had killed the inhabitants of Waikato, turned and made war each on the
other--uncle killed nephew, and nephew killed uncle: elder killed the
younger, and the younger killed the elder."
Of the various battles which the Tainui people fought during the
conquest of their new home we have scarcely any account, beyond vague
and general statements of the most fugitive character. These,
unfortunately, do not afford us any wealth of detail, the possession
of which would enable us to picture in vivid colours the doughty deeds
by which the invaders overcame the strenuous resistance of the
_tangata whenua_, who maintained the struggle with the desperation of
men who were fighting for their very existence. The story of the
conquest of Kawhia may be regarded as lost in the misty distances of
the past, but it is not surprising to discover by shadowy suggestion,
such as quoted above, that, after the original inhabitants had been
effectually subdued, the turbulent nature of the Maori should lead to
devastating and sanguinary internecine wars. One of the traditions of
the Tainui tribes is that they left the South Pacific because of a
great battle called "Ra-to-rua," which originated in a quarrel between
Heta and Ue-nuku; and it would be quite unreasonable to expect that
they should suddenly forsake their warlike passions on reaching New
Zealand, a country in which there was so much to fight for. With the
Maori war had now become more than a passion: it had become part of
his nature; for, through all the long centuries of migration, the
story of the race had been one of incessant struggle with other races
and with circumstances. They fought their way into the Pacific, and
were in turn submerged under the tide of a second invasion, which gave
to the world a people inured to the hardships inseparable from strife,
who had tasted the bitterness of defeat as well as the joys of
victory--a proud and haughty race, sensitive to the slightest insult,
and so jealous of their honour that they were ever ready to vindicate
their fair name before the only tribunal to which they could
appeal--that of war. Steeped as they had been from birth in this
atmosphere of strife, they had grown to expect the clash of arms at
every turn, and, as they grew to expect it, they grew to love it. It
is small wonder, then, that, when they found their enemies at Kawhia
and its neighbourhood vanquished, they occasionally turned their hands
upon each other, in the attempt to efface some real or imagined wrong.
But, fatal to national progress as these inter-tribal wars must have
been, they, nevertheless, played an important and valuable part in
spreading the Maori over New Zealand. A tribe defeated in battle was
forced to fly before the pursuing enemy, with no alternative but
either to appropriate some district still unoccupied or to displace
some weaker people, upon whom the burden was cast of again
establishing themselves where and as best they could. Thus the tide of
fortune and misfortune rolled and recoiled from Te Reinga to Te
Ra-whiti, until an asylum was sought by the last of the refugees even
across the waters of Cook Strait. Although we have no accurate
information on the point, it is probable that these blood-feuds
contributed in no small measure to the ultimate distribution of the
Tainui people; for their subsequent history is eloquent of the fact
that, while they claimed common descent from the ancestral line of
Hoturoa, this family bond did not prevent hatred and hostility
springing up, and at times bathing their country in blood.
The first migration, however, of which we have any record did not
apparently ensue upon the result of a battle, although a quarrel was
its underlying cause. Hotu-nui, who was one of the principal chiefs of
the canoe, is said to have taken as his wife a daughter of one of the
_tangata whenua_, and was apparently living in the same village and on
terms of perfect friendship with her people. Having been wrongfully
accused of an act of petty thieving, he determined to rid the _pa_ of
his presence; and so, with one hundred of his immediate followers, he,
it is said, moved off towards the Hauraki Gulf. As the years rolled
on, and the systematic exploration of the country began to be
undertaken, many similar expeditions, no doubt, went out from the
parent home at Kawhia, one at least of which was fraught with fateful
consequences. A chief named Raumati,[19] whose story has been embalmed
in tradition, had taken a band of followers with him and travelled
across the island, past Rotorua, until he finally came to the shores
of the Bay of Plenty, where his mother's people lived. Here he was in
the Arawa country, and it was not long before he heard that their
canoe was lying at Maketu, some distance further to the southward. It
will be remembered that there had never been good feeling between the
Tainui and Arawa peoples, and Raumati determined upon an act which
would demonstrate beyond all doubt that he, at least, was not disposed
to hold out the olive-branch to Arawa. His scheme was to effect the
destruction of the great canoe which had brought the hated rivals of
his tribe to New Zealand. Once decided upon, his plan was put into
execution with a promptness worthy of a better cause. Travelling along
the coast from Tauranga to Maketu, he and his followers arrived at the
latter place when all its inhabitants were absent in quest of food.
But his trouble was that the Arawa had been berthed on the opposite
side of the Kaituna River, where she had been housed under a covering
of reeds and grass to protect her from the ravages of the weather.
Nothing daunted, however, Raumati soon proved that his ingenuity was
equal to the desperate circumstances in which he found himself placed.
Taking a dart, and attaching to the point of it a live ember, he
hurled the smoking stick across the water with unerring aim, and, to
his intense satisfaction, he saw the firebrand fall in the midst of
the combustible material which formed the covering of the canoe. The
fire was soon in full blast: the glare of the flames lit up the
surrounding country and was reflected in the red glow of the evening
sky. The first impression of the people out in the forest was that the
Maketu _pa_ had been destroyed; but in the morning they were
undeceived, for then they saw that it was their beloved canoe which
had been burned, and all that remained of her was a heap of glowing
ashes.[20]
The unanimous conclusion was that this had been the work of an enemy,
and messengers were sent far and wide to acquaint the tribesmen of the
fate of the canoe and call them to council upon the subject. At the
meetings the debates were long and serious, for the tribe was torn
between its desire to live in peace with all men and its natural
impulse to revenge the burning of the Arawa, which "they loved and
venerated almost as a parent." They remembered the injunction which
had been given to them by Hou when on the point of leaving Hawaiki: "O
my children, O Mako, O Tia, O Hei, hearken to these my words: There
was but one great chief in Hawaiki, and that was Whakatauihu. Now do
you, my children, depart in peace, and, when you reach the place you
are going to, do not follow after the deeds of Tu, the God of War: if
you do, you will perish, as if swept off by the winds; but rather
follow quiet and useful occupations, then you will die tranquilly a
natural death. Depart, and dwell in peace with all; leave war and
strife behind you here. Depart and dwell in peace. It is war and its
evils which are driving you hence: dwell in peace where you are going;
conduct yourselves like men; let there be no quarrelling amongst you,
but build up a great people."
These were, no doubt, excellent words of advice, and they expressed a
very noble sentiment; but the practical question which they had to
determine was whether they could afford to adopt an attitude of
passivity while these acts of aggression went on around them: whether
they should declare war on account of the destruction of their canoe,
or permit the act to pass without notice. This was the problem over
which they pondered; and, as they discussed and debated it, "impatient
feelings kept ever rising up in their hearts." But at last an end was
made of deliberation, the decision of the tribe being in favour of
battle as the one and only sufficient means by which they could be
compensated for the burning of their canoe. In the words of the old
tradition, "then commenced the great war which was waged between those
who arrived in the Arawa and those who came in the Tainui."[21]
[6] On this occasion Hotu-nui is credited with having addressed his
people in the following terms: "Friends, hearken! Ours was the
first canoe to land in New Zealand before any of you had arrived
here. But let this be the proof as to which of our canoes landed
first. Let us look at the ropes which the various canoes tied to the
whale now before us, and also let us look at the branches of the
trees which each have put up in building an altar, then the owners
of the rope which is the driest and most withered, and of the altar
the leaves of which are the most faded, were the first to land on the
coast of the country where we now reside."
[7] After the canoe left Whanga-poraoa the first stopping-place was
at Whare-nga, where the crew amused themselves with various
games on the beach. To mark the spot, one legend has it, they
placed one large stone on top of another, while a second story has
it that this monument, which is still existent and is called _Pohatu
Whakairi_, represents one of the crew who was turned into stone.
The next point of interest was Moe-hau, now known as Cape
Colville. They then landed at Te Ana-Puta, where, it is said, the
canoe was moored to a natural arch of rock jutting into the sea.
For some reason the anchor was left at a spot between Wai-hou
and Piako, and under the name of _Te pungapunga_ (the pumice
stone) is still to be seen on the coast by those who are curious
enough to look for it. The course was then deflected slightly to
the west, and the canoe crossed to Whaka-ti-wai and coasted along
the mainland past Whare-Kawa, where, it is said, Marama, one
of the wives of Hoturoa, desired to be put ashore with one of her
male slaves. Here they were left, and, according to one version of
the tradition, it was her misconduct with this slave which prevented
the crew dragging the Tainui over the portage at Otahuhu. The
canoe then went on, some accounts say, as far as the North Cape,
and others seem to imply that she was shortly afterwards put about
and, returning into the Hauraki Gulf, sailed past the islands of
Waiheke and Motu-Korea, until land was once more made at Takapuna.
[8] Now called Mount Victoria or "Flagstaff Hill."
[9] Waitemata may be interpreted as "the waters of volcanic obsidian,"
no doubt a reference to the eruptive disposition of Mount Rangitoto.
[10] Otahuhu signifies "ridge-pole." This portage is only 3,900 feet
long and 66 feet high.
[11] There are different versions of this tradition, some attributing
the transfixing of the canoe to Marama, others crediting her with
releasing it. The version given in the late Sir George Grey's
_Polynesian Mythology_ has been here adopted.
[12] Some authorities are of opinion that the Tainui was not taken
across the portage at Otahuhu (ridge-pole), and they base this
contention upon the fact that no traditional marks have been left
inside the Manukau harbour. All the points of interest which have been
handed down, and are remembered, are on the sea coast; and from this
circumstance it is argued that the canoe was never in Manukau harbour
at all. Others say that some of the skids of Tainui were left at South
Manukau Heads.
[13] As they were passing the mouth of the Waikato, the priest of the
canoe, noticing that the river was in flood, named it by calling out
"_Waikato, Waikato, kau_." Further on, noticing that there were
no landing-places, he threw his paddle at the face of the cliff and
exclaimed, "_Ko te akau kau_" (all sea coast). The paddle is said
to be still embedded in the face of the rock, and is one of the
traditional marks by which the course of the Tainui can be traced. At
the entrance of Kawhia Harbour they ran into a shoal of fish, and the
priest gave this haven its present name by exclaiming "_Kawhia
kau_." Another account is that the name comes from Ka-awhi, to
recite the usual _karakia_ on landing on a new shore, to placate
the local gods.
[14] The distance between these stones is 86 feet, indicating the
probable length of the Tainui canoe.
[15] Now called Te Fana-i-Ahurei (or, in Maori, Te Whanga-i-Ahurei,
the district of Ahurei).
[16] The Tainui brought the species of kumaras known as
_Anu-rangi_ (cold of heaven) and the _hue_ or calabash.
Those planted by Marama did not come up true to type, but those
planted by Whakaoti-rangi, another of the chief's wives, did.
[17] "I reckon this country among the most charming and fertile
districts I have seen in New Zealand" (_Hochstetter_).
[18] The natives call them Whenuapo.
[19] His full name was Raumati-nui-o-taua. His father was Tama-ahua,
who is reputed to have returned to Hawaiki from New Zealand, and his
mother was Tauranga, a Bay of Plenty woman.
[20] The date of this incident has been approximately fixed at
A.D. 1390, or forty years after the arrival of "the fleet."
[21] "It is to be presumed that Raumati's relatives and friends at
Tauranga made his cause their own, for they met the Arawa people
somewhere near Maketu, where a great battle was fought. Raumati's
party, though successful at first, were defeated, and their leader
killed by the power of _makutu_, or witch-craft, for Hatu-patu,
the Arawa chief, caused a cliff to fall on him as he retreated from
the battle, and thus killed him" (_Polynesian Journal_).