A MAORI LEGEND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1377, 12 May 1883, Page 2

A MAORI LEGEND.

A curious tale of Karotonga is told by (a correspbiident "'of; the London Standard. He has resided in the island, twenty ('years.'. ag6,Oand Hwta familiar with its. traditions. The first chief of the islanjl was a warrior named Tonga, of .whombne ,qf n traditions in the island he, fixed hisitbjon'e at the foot of a. certain, .tamanurtree, whose shado made itl:a convenient holding his.coancils;- This seaV'eoL sisted 'of a' eight cubiofeet,!, According to tradition, it was at the time of thevwamorV deatln, taken byi the•■gods; mi 'Hidden;4riM» • mbrtaleyes[an#itw&jM t that, when the jtainanuk'ee Ml, 'as it was indangeV of doing-during severe storms; bn- account j6f-iTs extraordinary'' height 'and age;' the'stone'of would-be found.ipi its;.Tieaj(.iftHeiie I must explain, that. 20 yearg ;'ago ■ss tree in question was tj)e i3Jand, and qujto 2|'fe"s"jjf circpferenEß,' 2jj.fefit|jhj the base, and fully twice those!dimensions at the" base itself. :On the lowest compute tions it n\ust havOj been 600 'ojtk The story of.the ombedded" stone proved to'be no, legendary \niyitk M aljout five'years-ago'tlie great tree* flll,'and, on being cut up for timber,, there, was discovered near the centre, about 30 feet from the roots, a stone corresponding in size to the legendary sMCoE Tonga,": 1 ., ,'' ■