THE EXPLOIT OF KUPE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 657, 6 November 1909, Page 7

THE EXPLOIT OF KUPE.

f:;: •-■HOW HZ SLEW. {THETANI WHA, ;' : - : : ' ;■-A'LEGEND- W TORT! CHANNEL.' ';; V'A' gentleman who has'mode a■ special'studj of: tho'liaoi'ii : especially in : the Jilarlboroitgn district, -: has. communicated to ; Tub Dominion the following legend, -which" was told to /him by an old chief br oho Of tkowhariganiii-tribes, who "himself claimed to ..bo- a descendant;' 01 Kupe, Uiehorbjof thestory:—! -.;'■:.\ : '<■•• Kupe :,'was: the -man who first discovered' Nen 'Zealand. vHe arrived from Hiwaiki in a canoe called : Matahorua, ■■■ and,' paddlod. right round both islamist As he was passing the. promontory now called Castle Point, ho 1 saw aUargf ;s<iuid (wheke) or'taniwha, and made .an attacl Oh it at once.'. He. called it Te Wheke-a-Mutu. rang! (the,cuttle-fish of Mutnraivgi). The tanivhA wis afraid of Knpe," and lied,, arid everitu; . ally; crossed Cook; Strait and took up its. abode in Tpry Chnnnol (Kurd'to-ati);: Here it caused great- terror amongst the. Natives, and report! stated that it had at various .times, dragged down canoes' full of: men, and. that none of theni had ever.been seen again.; Kupe, heannj these tales, suspected that his .did enemy, .wai ■ the dause of the trotiblfl.vandi lnonstei had onjtho ..previous occasion lied from him, and the Natives were afraid to accompany him ho undertook to, attack it single-hftiideu:; 11< accordingly .paddled " across Cook Strait, and entered ,I'ofy Channel (Kura-te-an), chantinf incantations (karakia) tne' while. hearing him coming,' advanced and met him or, the southern side of Tory Channel. ■ ■ • ■ Knpo'iat once-recognised ; his old enernj and -immediately resorted to'-stratagem. .if order to divert the attention of the.toßiwta h< threw oVerbbird' his sandal (hu). : le Whek< immediately dived after.it, and. as he/did s( the old man struck him ttitli his taiaha .(t long battleaxe. made' of hard wood), and - inrlkted* severe wound. The monster, luidini that he had been "sold," returned to the at tack with renewed fury, but somewhat weakened from loss ; of blood, Kupe m the mean ' time-had paddled across to tne northern sidi of Tory Channel, close'to .what is nowJcnowi as Okukari Bay (in which Mr. Kennyi housenow stands)/iand, still chanting knraKit for his own protection, calmly awaited events As the.monster again approached Kupethrev overboard his baler (tata). The, to seize it, and Kupe, as before, inflicted an other severe' wound. Again the taniwha re turned to - the attack, but now much from: loss of blood, and Kupe easily dispatcnei him' with.', a third blow from his taiaha. H< then 'secured his victim, and_aided by the ebb tog tide,' Vhich was in his favour, towed hin out and placed him on the northern side o; the entrance to Tory Channel, and, being giftet with supernatural powers, turned le Wheki into a rock to stand for ever as a mondmem to tke old chief'B, victory. ~_. ;.;. <, ~,' „ The' narrator concluded: "If yon don t liki to believe the story, there ( stands the rock-t< this day to prove-my .words. .;_ --. --,'- ■ With such substantial,; visible proof, ni Maori.of'olden times would dare to be in "rhe "southern side of Tory Channel (Kura te-au),' where Kupe threw overboard v the sanda (Ku), is called by the Maoris Hn to tins .day i and the northern side,, where the baler, (tata i was cast over, is known as Tata, and the tOc! ;-'is named Te "Wheke (erroneously Printed on oui Government maps as Te Weka) after the mon Had Kupe been blessed with a, knowledge b: Latin, ho might surely, .after his victory,.!™ nttinKly quoted the opening line of the last Udi in the.Third Book of lloTace, "Esegi monumen turn' aereperennius" {"I have completed i memorial morelasting than bronse);