JOURNAL

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 58, 13 March 1851, Page 2

JOURNAL

Of an Expedition Overland from Auckland to Taranaki, by way of Rotorua, Taupo, and the West Coast, undertaken, in the Summer of 1849—50, by His Excellency the Gover-nor-in-Chief of New Zealand. [Continued Ttom outlast.) '* Whilst the maiden was thus warming herself in the hot spring, Tutanekai happened to feel thirsty, and said to his servant' Bring me a Jiltle water.' So his servant went to fetch water for him, and drew it from the lake in a calabash, close to the spot where Iline Moa was silting. ' The maiden, who was frightened, called out to him in a gruff voice, like that of a man, 'Who is that water fori' He replied, ' It's for Tntanekai.' ' Give it here then,' said Hine Moa, and he gave her the water and she drank, and having finished drink"?" ing, purposely threw down the calalmsh and broke it. Then the servant said to her, ' What business had you to break the calabash of Tntanekai?' but Iline Moa did not Jay a word in answer. The servant then went back, and Tntanekai said to him, ' Where is the water I told you to bring me 1 ?' So he answered, ' Your calabash was broken.' His master asked him, ' Who broke it?' and he answered, • The man who is in the bath ;' and Tutaneksii said to him, ' Go back again then and fetch me sumc water.' " He therefore took a second calabash, and went back and drew water in the calabash from the lake. And Hine Moa again said to him 'Who is that water for?' so the slave answered as before ' l ? or Tntanekai ;' aud the maiden again said ' Give it to me, for I am thirsty ;' and the slave gave it to her, and she drank, and again purposely threw down the calabash and broke it. These circumstances were several times repeated by those two persons. " At last the slave went again to Tntanekai who said to him ' Where then is the water for mo ?' and his seivant answered * It is all gone, your calabashes have been broken." • lly whom V said his master. ' Did'nt I tell you that there is n man in the bath?' answered his servant. ' Who is the fellow?' said Tntanekai. | ' How can I tell?' replied the slave, ' why he is a stranger.* ' Did'nt he know the water was for me,' said Tntanekai, ' what made the rascal dare to break my calabashes? Why I "Then Tutanekai threw on some clothes and caught hold of his club, and away he went and came to the bath, and called out ' Where's that fellow who broke my calabashes?' and Hine Moa knew the voice, that the sound of it was that of the voice of the beloved of her heart, and she hid herself under the overhanging rocks of the hot spring. But her hiding was hardly a real hiding, but only a coy concealing of herself from Tutanekai, that he might not find her at once, but only after trouble and searching for her j so he went feeling about along the banks of the hot spring, searching about everywhere, whilst she lay coyly hid under (he ledges of the rock, peeping out and wondering when she should be found. At last he caught hold of a hand, and cried out ' Hallo! who's this?' and Hine Moa answered ' It is I. Tutanekai,' and he said ' But who are you, who's I?' Then she spoke louder and said ' It's I, 'tis Hine Moa.' And he said ' Oh, oh, oh, can such in very truth be the case. Let us two go then to my house;' and she answered ' Yes,' and she rose up in the water as beautiful as the wild white hawk, and stepped upon the edge of the bath as graceful as the shy white crane. And he threw garments over her, and took her, and they proceeded to his house, and reposed there; and thenceforth, according to the ancient laws of the Maories, they were man and wife,

" When morning dawned, all the people of the village went forth from their houses to, cook their breakfasts, and they all ate. But Tutanekai tarried in his house. So Whakaue said, ' This is the fust morning that Tutanekai lias slept in this way, perhaps the- lad is ill ; bring him here, rouse him up.' Then the man who Was to fetch him went, and drew back the sliding wooden window of the house, and peeping in, saw four feet. Oh, he was greatly amazed, and said to himself, ' Who can this companion of his be V However, he had seen quite enough, and turning about, hurried back as fast »s he could to Whakaue, and said to him, ' Why there are four feet, I saw them myself in the house.' Whakaue answered, ' Who's his companion then? Make . haste back and see.' So back he went to the house, and peeped in at them, and then for the first time saw it was Iline Moa. Then he j shouted out in his amazement, ' Oh, here's : Iline Moa, here's Mine Moa, in the house of Tutanekai !' and all the village heard him, and there arose cries on every side,' Oh, here's . Iline Moa, here's Iline Moa, with Tutanekai!' : and his elder brothers heard the shouting, and ' they said, ' It is false,' for they were very j jealous indeed. Ijut Tutanekai then appeared,' coining out from his house, and [line Moa following him, and his elder brothers saw that , it was indeed I line Moa; and they said,' It's true, it's a fact." " | " After these things, Tiki thought within himself, ' Tutanekai has married Hine Moa, she whom he loved ; but as for me, alas, I liave no wife,' and he became sorrowful, and returned to his own village. And Tutanekai was grieved for I iki, and he said to Whakaue, : ' I am quite ill from grief for my friend Tiki;' and \\ hakaue said, 'What do you mean'?' and Tutanekai replied, ' I refer to my young sister Tupa; let her he given as a wife to my beloved friend, to Tiki;' and his reputed father, Whakaue. consented to this. So his young sister Tupa was given to Tiki, and she became his wife. The descendants of Mine Moa and .of Tutanekai are at this very day dwelling on the lake of Rotorua ; and never yet have the lips of the offspring of Iline Moa forgotten to repeat tales of the great heauty, and ol the swimming here of their renowntd ancestress, of Hine Moa. And thence too have they this song, this very song:— " Am not I also descended from the great ancestress who swam hither. From Hine Moa, whom I resemble from having also cr ssed tho sea?" Ac.