HINEMOA IN REVERSE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 25, 20 November 1945, Page 3

HINEMOA IN REVERSE

MAORI LEGEND DEBUNKED PAKEHAS PASSIONATE PLUNGE 'And breasting the cold grey waters deep Fair Ilinemoa thought only of her plighted love.' Thus the beautiful old Maori legend of Hinemoa and the manner in '9 •? whieh she swam out into Lake, llotorua to meet her forbidden lover Tutanekai immortalised in the words of the poet. 'But little did .she dream her act 1 A Pakeha would re-enact.' Yet these latter lines (same story —different poet!) contain nothing but the simple truth, preserved to posterity in the following anecdote: It woidd appear that but several short days ago the legend of Hine-> moa and Tutanekai was relived 'neath the wide and open sky, right in the midst of Whakatane (this growing and thriving model city of the vast Rangitaiki this town of hope and fortune this town of •3 •> and and please why can't we have our State highway through the Borough?). Yes indeed the legend was re-enacted, but Pakeha way the positions were reversed. Last Monday evening watchers at the foot of Landing Road (there must have been some or we wouldn't ♦J have got this story!) were suddenly jarred out of their quiet rut by a strange and disturbing spectacle. A local resident (name withheld for blackmail purposes) of the young, health}- R.S.A. species found to his dismay that his jalopy had joined the watersiders and gone on strike. The. ardent gent, was indeed face to face with a facer. Here he was— up till now a confirmed hereafter from now exactly the op-' positCj and right now off to pitch wood, and a 'no-go' car. Cars are cold } mechanical which care not for the heart throb of the young. Little did the jeep in question care that tlie object of serenade resided on the other side of the river and •? that the sercnader was. on the wrong side with no way of correcting the matter. Aha ! But now Ave see rising to the fore the old indomitable initia. tivo which has immortalised the Kiwi in action. With haughty dig" nity~he strides to the river's brink. He stands git'/ing towards the Paper (this symbol of the growing and thriving new industry in the Bay of Plenty this industry contributing to the support of Whaka. tane 7 town of hope, and fortune love and life and please why can't we have our State highway through the Borough?) Yes he stands gazing towards the Paper Mills. He doffs his hat ? and placing it carefully in his hip pocket gathers strength for the plunge. He sweeps himself up" in a graceful power dive and cleaves the water (kerplonk). Brrh! He surfaces, and setting a course for the opposite bank churns off in that direction.

His trip across is uneventful. Now and again he swallows a jelly and washes it down with a mouthful of river but these minor setbacks are as nothing. In time he attains the other but the story is all but over for at this stage our informant overcome by the spell of the evening, went to sleep.

We can only that he dragged his form up at the other side ? dusted oil' his trousers, replaced his and set off jauntily about the night's business.

But one thing which can be asserte.il is that the town's young blood certainly does possess its lair share of initiative (which has helped to mould as nought else has, this town of hope etc. and wiry the heck doesn't build a bridge over the river at the foot of Landing lload?)