IN SEARCH OF HAPUAKORARI

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 December 1939, Page 17 (Supplement)

IN SEARCH OF HAPUAKORARI

LAKE ASSOCIATED WITH ANCIENT MAORI TRADITION

Journey in Tararua Ranges in 1885 BLAZING A TRAIL THROUGH THE VIRGIN FOREST HOW A FOOD SHORTAGE WAS OVERCOME \ ; (Specially Written for the “Wairarapa Times-Age” by Charles Bannister.) Hapnakorari (ITapna means sunken hike or a lake in a hollow and korari means flax stick) was the Maori name for a lake in the Tararua Ranges somewhere between Uorowhenna. (Levin) and Mount .Bruce (Pokaka). Ohl Maoris said that it was a beautil'ul place with a nice pebbled beach, and all the other surroundings made it. a pretty spot. Birds were numerous. Many now extinct species were to be found there, such as the large red kaka, huia and while heron (kotukn). In the lake, said the Maoris, were eels that had two heads. Around the lake, was a fringe of tall flax, with immense flax sticks. Tradition said they’ were as thick’ as the call ol a man s leg. Tumuarangi, a Maori chief of Wairarapa, kept one of these flax sticks at his kiting;) to show people to prove that it was no fable. This flax stick was supposed to come from the Ohan Ritei. When 1 asked a Maori why'' I should not follow up the Ohan River, he said: ‘"There are too many’ branches and when yon are getting near the lake, the Atua. will make a big storm ami thick fog, so thick that you would get. lost.” In the centre of this lake was an island ol red rock on which some fugitives, from Horowhenua slept, one night, so that they could not be surprised. 'They came out, this side by’ the way of Rimmalianga. When the Tararua. block: was sold to the Government- 1,000 acres were reserved by the M aoris with llapuakorari in Ihe centre. Surveyors could not place this reserve on their maps as nobody knew where it was. The Government at that time offered £2OO if anybody could locate it. Nobody’ on. this side ol the ranges had tried, so I made up my mind to make the attempt. In March, .1885, harvest being finished, a trip to the mountains as my’ annual holiday* was due, so 1. chose two of my* Maori chums lor mates to accompany me. One was a young fellow named Mani but was always called iMniuly. Be and I had been small boys together. In the food line, except for worms, our fare consisted 01. fish, birds, berries and iiuhu grubs, all. cooked without a. pot. .1 thought he would make a good male to help with the food supply, Akitu, the other man, was much older but a really good bushmaii. He had done some gold mining. In the event ol' our finding a reel on the western side ol the range he would know what to do. We packed our swags and prepared lor Saturday. __

the main range. "By kori, it look different,” said Mundy. "‘I thought only one range and this was the main one. Picking up our swags we went down the spur. It was a bit difficult at first, as it always is on the nor-west side. The leather lug scrub was hard to get through, as it was. very thick, with some taramea (Spaniards) intermingled with it. Sometimes we were walking on top of it but the growth gradually got ’ taller and turned to beech forest. This improved the going very much until after a little while it was quite good travelling. We came to the creek and decided to have a spell, as it was very hot.

got started at daylight and after about an hour's wading and getting around gorges I slipped and fell down a bank about ten feet, I received a nasty shaking, but no bones were broken, and after a short spell we resumed our journey. I improved as I went. The going was much better till we went into nice bush. We heard kakas screeching, saw fantails and a rifleman, and when we sat down to lunch a robin paid us his respects, and a pigeon, which was flying over very high, paused in its flight and dropped suddenly as if he had been shot. Mundy said that pigeon was very poor. We did not slay for a rest that day, as we wanted to push along.