Kāhu ki Rotorua: A musical trip to significant local landmarks

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See below for English translation

E noho ana au i runga o Te Pakira

Ko tēnei Toiere waka nā Rangitihi Pene. Hai tāna he Toiere waka. Kai titiro pōhēhē mai ētehi o tātau me te kī he Pātere kē. Ko te tatangi o tēnei Toiere waka, he rite ki te tatangi o te Pātere. Ko tētehi anō o ngā rerekētanga i titoa tēnei Toiere waka hai kawe i ngā tātai kōrero rangatira o Ngai Tūhourangi. Kai ngā Pātere ko tētehi o āna take he whakautu kōrero tāunuunu, wheoi anō rā.

Ko te kaupapa o te Toiere waka

Nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi ngāhuru i titoa ai tēnei Toiere waka mō Ngai Tūhourangi. He waka kawe i te hunga whakarongo ki ngā wāhi mana nui mai i Te Rotoiti tae ki Te Whakarewarewa. Ki te aha? Ki te whakamihi ngā tini rangatira o aua kāinga nui me ngā tātai kōrero hoki e noho mātauranga nui ai ngā tamariki me ngā mokopuna ki ngā hītoia o te iwi. He ahakoa i titoa mō te kapa haka kua whakaaengia kia noho tēnei taonga hai kura nui hai Toiere waka mo ngā hapū huhua o Tūhourangi.

“Toiere Waka” Nā Rangitihi Pene

E noho ana au I runga o Te Pākira Whakaronga rua aku taringa

Ki te pōhutuhutu mai o Te Hīrere

E teretere nei te roma o

Te Puarenga

Ka paopao I te one ki Te Arikiroa,

Ko te papa pakanga pāhake ē!

Takahia atu rā ki runga o Moerangi E titiro whakamuri ki Pukeroa!

Ko te paekura tērā o Wāhiao,

O Tāoī hoki!

Ka hoki kōmuri ki tōku papatupu

Kia unu wai mai I Rotokākāhi

Kia tatū atu ki runga o Te Wairoa

Ko Te Rangipūawhe, ko Āporo,

Ko te kuia Hinemihi-te piringa ē!

Whaitia te ara ki Punarōmia

Te ūnga o ngā poti

Kai hea te hetimana?

Kai hea te taihana?

Rangaranga tō hoe

Hikihiki tō hoe

Kia taha atu I te Kūmore ki Moura Hakarāia te Kahika,

Nō Ngāti Rangitihi!

Hāhā te whenua,

Ōrota I te hū, I te hā!

Auē, rikiriki ē!

Kia pēpeke ake ki runga o Te Ariki Kapukapu te haere

Ki Rotomakariri, ki Rotomahana.

E mau tonu nei aku Kāmehameha, Aku tūāpapa-tū mai Te Tarata!

Rumakina ki te wai

Parehua hunahuna

Ōtū-Kapua-rangi!

He tukunga mō te ao ē!

Hikoia ngā koko o Tarawera

Tarawera moana,

Tarawera maunga

Tarawera puia kai-tangata!

Kai pūai te hono-ā-Rangihēuea!

Kai Ruawāhia Mokonuiārangi

Kia anga taku haere ki

Mārangaranga ko te toi o

Tūhourangi kai mātaotao

I moea ki runga takapau wharenui Kia puta ki waho taku mana ē!

Hoea te waka

Tāhapa noa ki te Awa-i-Takapūwhāia! Kia mihi au ki ngā toitoi I Ōkere

Ka raranga ngā hau ki te uru

Whakapukpuke ai ngā ngaru i

Ōhoukākā!

Ko te waiū o Taketakehikuroa!

Nāna I ai atu kia tū atu nei

Ko Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao

E kokoia, e ara ē!

Ko Rangitihi Pene

Ko te roanga atu o te ingoa o Rangitihi, ko Darrell Guy Rangitihi Pene. I whānau i Taumarunui, ko te ūkaipō o tōna matua wahine. Ko ōna kāwai whakapapa he huhua.

Nō Ngā hapū o Ngai Te Arawa, Ngāti Tuwharetoa,Ngāti Hauaroa, Ngāti Pūkeko me Ngāti Kahungunu. Ko Sue tōna mākau rangatira. Nō Ngāruahinerangi me Ngāti Ruanui ia. He hapū rangatira ēnei nō Taranaki, engari i pakeketia a Sue i Pukekohe.Tokorima ā rāua tamāhine. Kua hīā kē te roa a Rangitihi e tito waiata ana mō Tūhourangi. Atu i āna titonga he rangatira tuhi pukapuka hoki ia. Ko tana pukapuka hou ko te orokohanga mai o te kapa haka o Ngāti Whakaue. Ko tana pukapuka tuatahi he tuhinga nāna mō tōna koroua rangatira a Kepa Ehau.

He kōrero tāpiri nā Rangitihi

He kōrero tāpiri nā Rangitihi: ‘E ngā uri o Tūhourangi whakaihi ake rā ngā kanohi ki tua o Te Pakira ki tua rānō o Te Whakarewarewa, kia wareware he iwi noho Tarawera, he iwi noho Parekārangi, he iwi noho ngā awaawa o Waikite me Ngākuru, he iwi noho ki te pūtake o Kākaramea anō hoki. He ihi, he wehi, he ao tūroa e’.

English Translation

Rangitihi Pene (composer) has referred to this item as “Toiere Waka” or canoe chant. It has the same beat as a pātere but differs in context of composition as it is not in response to an insult. Rather a historical journey of the Tūhourangi people.

Rangitihi inside Whare Tupuna, giving kōrero.

Composition

Composed for Tūhourangi Ngāti Wahiao performing arts group in 2010.

This Toiere Waka takes the audience on a journey to significant landmarks starting from lake Te Rotoiti to Whakarewarewa acknowledging past events and rangatira of that time. Rangitihi’s intention for this composition was to share local history making it available to future generations. Although the “Toiere Waka” was composed for Tūhourangi senior kapa haka group, the tribe have added it to the repertoire for hapū occasions.

“Toiere Waka” - Nā Rangitihi Pene

Here I sit upon my marae Te Pakira And listen to the splashing of our waterfall bath.

The current of our stream Te Puarenga resounds.

as it pounds its way to the beach at Te Arikiroa

The most ancient of our battlefileds! Tread now the path up to mount Moerangi

The lost home of Ngāti Wāhiao & Ngāti Tāoī.

I go backwards to my homelands so I

Can sip the waters of Rotokākahi.

And ascend once more Te Wairoa

Where the chiefs Te Rangipūawhe

And Āporo were, as was the

Meeting house Hinemihi that

Sheltered us.

Follow now the path to Punarōmia The landing place of the (whale) boats where now is the head?

Boats-man? Where now are the dozen (rowers)? Lift up your oar.

Lift up your oar.

Let (us) pass by the promintory.

Moura. Where lived the chief?

Hakarāia of Ngāti Rangitihi

The land now desolate.

The people exterminated by the

Eruption! Alas we mourn them.

Let us glide onwards to Te Ariki

And walk from there.

To the cold lake, then to the warm Lake. Despite the eruption there

Remains my wonderland, my

Terraces – Te Tarata! Though now

Submerged, they are hidden.

Terraces – The Pink Terrace! Once a Reception place of world renown!

Walk the bays of Tarawera, of lake. Tarawera, of mount Tarawera,

Tarawera the man killing volcano.

At Moura resided the retinue of

Te Rangihēuea

At Ruawāhia, Mokonuiārangi let my Journey turn now to Marangaranga The birthplace of Tūhourangi

who was conceived on the great mat. And so was born, the mana of Tūhourangi!

Row now the canoe quickly past the Channel Takapūwhāia!

Let me pay respects to the

Cockabullies’ of Ōkere. The western Wind blows gently churning up the Waves at Ōhaukākā!

The birthplace of Taketakehikuroa!

It was he who cohabited so that we Now stand here Tūhourangi-Ngāti

Wāhiao

Thus, we arise!

Composers’ bio

Darrell Guy Rangitihi Pene was born in Taumarunui, his mother’s hometown, and has whakapapa to Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Hauaroa, Ngāti Pūkeko, and Ngāti Kahungunu.

His wife Sue is of Ngāruahinerangi and Ngāti Ruanui in Taranaki and was raised in Pukekohe. They have five daughters. Rangitihi has composed haka, mōteatea and waiata for Tūhourangi Kapa Haka and written a book about the evolution of kapa haka in Ohinemutu. His other published work is a biography of one of his koroua, Kepa Ehau.

Composers note: “A wider vision for the descendants of Tūhourangi to understand is to never be confined to Te Pakira or the village of Te Whakarewarewa only.”