The Hunting of the Taniwha

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 25, 29 July 1939, Page 21

The Hunting of the Taniwha

WITH a taniwha sporting itself off the Nelson coast in the guise of a sea serpent, with another one roaming inland and leaving its footprints in the snow on the Ruahines, it is high time the stalwart big-game hunters of the Dominion girded up their loins and sallied forth for a George-and-the-Dragon act. A taniwha, dead or alive, would be a wonderful attraction at the Centennial Exhibition. And should anyone be in doubt about the technique ol taniwha-catching, any amount of detail can be found by reference to Maori lore—no vague directions such as putting salt on its tail, but details as to making snares out of flax ropes, supplejack, and the like. Some of the modern sophisticated generation may be a bit doubtful as to what a taniwha is, or was. When the white man first came to New Zealand a hundred years ago, there were plenty of Maoris, who could talk circumstantially and with corroborative detail about taniwhas. They were fearsome and gigantic reptiles, like outsize tuataras. Some inhabited rivers and lakes; others were more partial to inland caves. Wherever their abode, these dragon-like creatures were shunned and feared by the Maori, and naturally so, since the taniwha's favourite diet seems to have been Maori, and not singly but in quantity. Now it is a remarkable fact that the old-time Maori had many and very definite stories about taniwhas, their depredations and capture, yet no remains of these gigantic beasts have ever been found. On the other hand, Maori legends and tales contain comparatively few references to the gigantic moa. the remains of which are not uncommon. Did the taniwha ever exist? The old-time Maori no' more doubted its existence than he did that of the sun and moon. The modern scientist, who is notoriously devoid of romance, however, relegates the taniwha to the : realm of myth. The taniwha he says, is a legendary survival of a time when ' the Maori lived on other islands or in other lands where alligators or crocodiles had their habitat. But the old Maori knew better than that: he had no doubt whatever about the very real existence in New Zealand of the taniwha, and could relate with circumstantial detail how his not very remote ancestors had been eaten by, or had fought and slain, as the case might be, these horrific monsters. The modern Maori apparently has but little acquaintance with taniwhas.

One of the mosi famous of all "historical" taniwhas was the one named Hotu-puku—all the major taniwhas have names." This particular taniwha was slain by the valiant men of Roto

rua under the following circum stances:—Parties of Maoris travelling between Rotorua and Taupo wert found to disappear unaccountably This when it had happened several times, began to perturb the Taupo Natives, so a war-party set out to deal with what they supposed to be a hostile tribe slaying their friends. After travers ing the Kaingaroa Plain they came to Kapenga, where they got the shock oi their lives. What appeared to be ? moving hill of earth suddenly con fronted them. It was a taniwha ir search of food—a huge creature witl dreadful spines and a spear-like heac The party fled in terror, but not befor the taniwha had made a good meal Some of the Maoris, however, escapee to tell the tale, and for them the mys tery of the disappearance of the travel lers was solved—this taniwha hac eaten the lot. Such interference witl lawful comings and goings along the highway could not be tolerated, anc plans were laid to rid the district oi the menace Warriors from all part; of the Rotorua district were assembled to the number of 170. Weeks were spent in plaiting flax ropes, and wh?r

all was ready the party sallied forth. The taniwha needed no enticing from Ms lair—the smell of human beings in -he vicinity was enough, for he was hungry. The monster was enticed to

ByH.W.M.

follow the Maoris in their pretended flight until his body lay in a valley between two small hills, up the side of which stretched his neck and up the side of the other his tail. In the

valley itself had been arranged a network of ropes and in these the taniwha's feet became entangled. The Maorish now turned on their pursuer, and hacked at it with every conceivable weapon until some hours later the knock-out blow was delivered. The next day preparations were made to cut the monster up. When this was done, the stomach was found to contain many Maoris, whole or in part, weapons, flax clothing, and many other things, proving without doubt what the fate of the missing travellers had been Encouraged by this success, the same party tackled a taniwha living in a waterhole in the Waikato River, and out an end to it by similar methods.

Another and rather similar story concerns a taniwha which for a long time had its haunts in a ycavern overlooking Lake Tikitapu, the Blue Lake which every tourist to Rotorua sees when gcing to Wairoa. This taniwha was nailed Kataore and was made a pet of by the chief Tangaroa-miki. . But it overstepped the bounds, of decency when it devoured a high-born maiden who was travelling past its lair. The maiden's fiance organised in expedition which, using methods similar to those described above, rid the neighbourhood of the chiefs pet. But Tangaroa-miki

was enraged at the death of his saurian, and a war betwet n him and the slayer resulted.

Taniwhas were sometimes quite j friendly if treated with respect. One! of enormous dimensions, .if the Maori , tales are to be believed, was the guardian of the Ngati-Raukawa's stronghold on the Upper Waikato. j Takere-piripiri was its name, and it j lived in a cavern by the side of the river. Regularly every day it was fed with cooked eels, and in return for its t board it ate any marauding or hostile Maoris who appeared in the neighbourhood to disturb the peace of the NgatiRaukawa. One day, however, the chief's two children, who were en-, trusted with +he task of carrying the daily basket of eels to the taniwha's cavern, played a dirty trick on their guardian. They themselves ate the most succulent part of the eels, leaving the taniwha only the heads. In high dudgeon at this offence to his dignity, the taniwha decided that the NgatiRaukawa were no longer worthy of his protection. Scorning revenge by eating the tribe, as he might well have done, Takere-piripiri wandered away and took up a new abode elsewhere. But here no one fed him on eels, so he was forced when hungry to consume a Maori or two. It was not long before the Maoris in the neighbourhood obiected to this slow but regular decimation of their numbers, and a combined effort on their part closed Takerepiripiri 's career. Lake Taupo was inhabited by a famous.taniwha called Horo-matangi, and there was hardly a lake or a river which was not the home of one or more. The sea, too, had its species of taniwhas. They seem to have been amphibious —as happy on land as in water. The Maoris went' about in mortal terror of being devoured by taniwhas, but fortunately there were charms or karakias which when recited could be counted upon to keep a taniwha at a sa'a distance, provided H did not get in first with a surprise attack. Very efficacious, too, was the use of a thread of human hair in keeping a taniwha at bay. For those contemplating the capture of a taniwha for the Centennial Exhibition, then, a study of Maori legend and lore is recommended. It must be remembered that a taniwha is as cunning as it is fearsome.