Tale For Royal Children

Taupo Times, Volume II, Issue 64, 8 April 1953, Page 1

Tale For Royal Children

"HINEMOA AND TUTANEKAI" Note. — As reported in the Timos on March 25th, the Taupo Girf Guides recent!y contributed a manuscript version of the story of Hinemoa, with ilSustrations, to a book to be presented to Prirkre Charles and Princess Anne by the Girl Guides of New Zealand. The version was a shortened form of the story as it appears in Sir George Grey's Polynesian Mythoiogy. Apart frorn a few verbal alterations made necessary by the need to shorten the story, the version was in the words of Grey's originai transfation, and was as appears beiow. — Editor, Tsmes. Once upon a time, long before the pakeha people came to New Zealand, there lived on the island of Mokoia, in Lake Rotorua a young chief called Tutanekai. And across the lake at the village of Owhata there dwelt a jnaiden of rar'e beauty, as well as of high rank, whose name was Hinemoa. Her father was Umakaria and her mother's name was Hine-maru. Npw Hine-moa and Tutanekai had mei each other on sevetral occasions, in the great assemblies when all the people of Rotorua eame together and as they often gianced each at the other, to the heart of each of them the other appeared pleasing and worthy of love.

Nevertheless, Tutanekai could not tell whether he might venture to approagh Hine-moa to take her hand, to ,see would she press his in jreturn, because he, "Perhaps because said he, "Perhaps I may be by no means agreeable to her." On the other hand, Hine-moa's heart said to her, 4If you send one of your friends to tell him of your love, perchance he wili not be pleased with you." However, after they had thus met for many days, and had long and fondly gianced at each othetr, Tutanekai sent a messenger to Hine-moa, to tell of his love. And when Hinemoa had seen the messenger, she said, "Eh-hu ! Have we then each loved alike ? " Some time after this, and when they had often met, Tutanekai and his family returned to their own village, and before this it had been arranged between Hine-moa and Tutanekai that she would come to j him when he gave the sign. Some time before, Tutanekai had I built on Mokoia Island an elevated i balcony, and there at night he used j fo play on the horn. And when Hine -moa asked, "What shall be the | sign by which I shall know that I should then come to you ? " Tutane- j kai saitl to her, "A trumpet will be | heard sounding every night. It will j be I who shall sound it, beloved — paddle then your canoe to that place."

Now7 always in the middle of the night Tutanekai played upon his trumpet and Hine-moa heard and desired vastly to paddle to him in her canoe. But all the canoes had been hauled up upon the shore of the lake and this had been done for many days and nights. At last, when the soft measures reached her from the trumpet of Tutanekai the young and beautiful chieftainess felt as if an earthquake shook her to make her go to the beloved of her heart. So she took six large dry empty gourds, as floats, lest she should sink in the water, three of them for each side, and she went out upon a rock, which is named Iii-iri-kapua, and from thence to the edge of the water, to the spot called Wai-irere-wai. There j she threw off her clothes and cast ! herself into the water. And she j

_ reached the stump of a sunken tree called Hinewhata and clung to it and rested to take breath, and then swam on again. Whenever she was exhausted she floated, supported by the gourds, and after recovering strength she swam on again. Her only guide in the darkness of the night was the soft measure from the nstrument of Tutanekai. That was the mark by which she swam straight to Waikimihia, for just above that hot spring was the village of Tutanekai, i and at last she reached the island of Mokoia. And when she landed near this hot spring called Waikimihia she was trembling all ovetr from the cold, after swimming in the night aciross the wide lake. She got into the spring to warrn herself.

Now whilst Hine-moa was tlius warmI ing herself in the hot spring, Tutanekai happened to fee thirsty, and said to his servant, "Bring me a uittle water." So his servant went , to fetch fresh water and drew it from the lake in a calabash close to where | Hine-moa was sitting. The maiden, |who was* frightened, called to him in ja gruff voice, like that of a man, j "Whom is that water for ? " He replied, "It's for Tutanekai." Give it here, then," said Hine-moa, and he gave her the water and she drank, and having* finished she purposely j j threw down the calabash and broke j j it. Then tbe servant said, "What j business had you to break the cala- ? bash of Tutanekai ? " But Hinemoa did not say a word in answer,

and the servant went back, and Tu- ( tanekai said to him, "Where is the water I told you to bring ? " So he ! answered, "Your calabash was broken." And his master asked him, "Who broke it ? " and he answered "The man in the bath." And Tutanekai said to him, "Go back again then, and fetch me water." He thetrefore took a second calabash and went back and drew water, and Hine-moa again said to him, "Whom is the water for ? " and again asked him i to give her water, and again pur- ' posely threw down the calabash " and broke it. j Then Tutanekai put on some ! clothes and caught hold of his club i and away he went, and came to the | bath and called out "Where's that; fellow who broke rny calabashes ?" , | And Hine-moa knew the voice, that

it was that of the beloved of her heart, and she hid herself under the overhanging rocks of the hot spring. | So Tutanekai went feeling about | along the banks of the spring and j at last caught hold of a hand and cried out, 'Hollo, who's this ? " And Hine-moa answered, *' 1 1 s I. Tutanekai.' And he said„ "But who are you ? j who s I ■ Then she spoke louder I and said, "It's I. 'Tis Hine-moa. And he said, "Ho l ho ! ho ! can such in J very truth be the case ? Let us then ! go to my house.' And she answered ; "Yes," and rose up in the water as beautiful as the wild 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 thenceforth, according to the an- | cient laws of the Maori, they were man and wife. And the descendants , of Hine-moa and of Tutanekai are at this very day dwelling on the lake of .Rotorua and never have they forgotten to repeat tales of the great beauty of their renowned ancestress and of her swimming to Mokoia Island.