PELORUS JACK

Hokitika Guardian, 15 June 1929, Page 6

PELORUS JACK

WAS HE A TANIWHA?

FISH STORY RELATED BY AIAOIM BISHOP.

“No other fish in all the world has drawn so much attention as Pelorus Jack,” said Bishop Bennett on Wednesday night, in telling a few Alaori legends over the air. "He alone of ,the fish tribe, attracted so much interest from legislators, that a special Bill was passed by the New Zealand Parliament with tlie object of preserving the life ol this remarkably interesting denizen of the deep. He was about I.sft or IGfil in length, and of a dark greyish colour. Unfortunately something has happened to Pelorus Jack, tor he has not been seen for several years.

"As a. young man I remember seeing him on many occasions racing along' by the bow of the steamer, and sometimes jumping clean out of tlie water. He appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the fun. He had his proper haunts, namely. between Jackson Head and towards the French Pass. He was never seen outside this area. "I notice that the suggestion that Pelorus Jack may have been killed by the twin screw of the Arahura, alter being accustomed to. the single screw of the Alaponrika, has been mentioned in a discussion by the Linnaean Society in London. T think Pelorus Jack was too clever a fish to be killed by nnv number of screws. He must liave known all thorn was to learn about screws, their sounds, their vibrations, the disturbance of the water and the danger of getting too near. In any ease he gambolled always at tlie bow of the steamer, and as far as I know never at the stern.

‘‘Now let me relate some really interesting Alaori stories which 1 collected last month when on a visit to Ohoka. a small Alaori settlement near tlie mouth of the Pelorus Pound, and close to the old haunts of Pelorus Jack. Afv informant was the old chief, Tanaraki Afeihara, known to the pakelia as ‘Alason’. This old man is about seventy years of age and has lived in the vicinity of Pelorus Sound Ml his life. His home just now is at Havelock, lie says the Maoris of this district have traditions about a fis/i similar to Pelorus Jack, which go back for many generations. They always referred to it as a ‘tauiwlia’ (a minister). or ‘atua’ (a god). The Maoris called him ‘Kaikai-a-waro.’ He was the pet fish of a tohunga. (priest) called Tu-te-hoto. who lived in this district between 500 and 600 years ago. If Pelorus Jack was the same fish, then be must have been over 500 vein’s old. «

“Areihara savs that the direct descendants of Tu-te-hoto had special ‘maua’ (influence) over the ‘tauiwlia,’ and by reciting a certain incantation wore able to call up this fish whenever lie was required. Alanv instances are recorded when ‘Kaikai-a-waro’ wiis called up by means of ‘karakia,’ or incantations, especially when a canoe was in difficulty. Iho fish would then appear liv the weather side of the canoe, and give it protection until it reached calm waters. Afeihara also maintains that there were times when the tohunga could read certain omens lor good or evil by the direction in which the fish appeared. “Here is another story about tlie remarkable fish:—A loi'g time ago a raiding party from the North Island made a sudden attack upon the group of islands at the entrance of Pelorus Sound, known to tiie Maoris as ‘Nukuwaiata.’ and named by the pakelia Chctwood Islands. Every person oil the islands was annihilated, wi h the exception of one man, named Te-koa-nga-umu. This man concealed himself in a cave. When the raiders had departed this solitary survivor made his appearance, but found that all the, canoes had been taken by the raiders; He made himself a. raft by collecting tlie stems of the flax called ‘koranV As tlie distance to tlie mainland was about four miles, lie recited the incantation calling up kaihai-a-waro. In n few moments tlie big fish appeared underneath the raft and pushing its back up against the floor of the raft carried it until within easy reach of tin* shore. Then it dived back into the deep water again, and To-koa-tiga-iimii scrambled safclv ashore and lived for many years to relate his remarkable experience. "Now, don’t be incredulous,” added the Bishop, "and express your surprise that the Alaori Bishop should tell such tall Alaori fish varus. lon have plenty of such yarns in your old classics, haven’t you?”