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See below for English translation
Ki te taha hauāuru o Te Rotonui-a-Kahumatamomoe, kai ngā rekereke o Ngongotahā, he whenua rangatira e ingoangia ana ko Waikuta.
Nā Ihenga, nā tō tātau tupuna taunaha whenua i tapa ki taua ingoa.
Ko te take he kitenga nāna i te kuta e tupu matomato ana i ngā wai o te awa. Nā reira i tapangia ko Waikuta. He whenua mākū hoki a Waikuta, ko te rahi o te whenua he repo. Ko Te Pokuru he repo nui e kitea tonungia ana e te tangata. Ki Te Pokuru hoki he uru Kahikātea e tū ana. Koia nei te kaupapa o tā tātau tātai kōrero.
Ko te kaha o ngā wāhine Māori ki te manaaki i ngā kahikātea o Te Pokuru, anō hoki he tere ki te hāpai rākau whawhai. Nā reira i tūtū ai te puehu i waenga i ngā pirihimana o te wā me ngā tamāhine pakeke a Haerehuka. Rangitira nui o nehe.
Kai tā Stafford pukapuka, ko ngā tūtohu whenua o Te Arawa, pukapuka tuatahi.
He kōrero iti mō te raruraru i tū ki runga i tēnei whenua. Ko ngā Kahikātea te take. E ai ki a Stafford i hokona ngā Kahikātea hai rākau tika ki te whakaatu whare ki te pā taunaha o Ōhinemutu, nō te takiwā o te tau kotahi mano, e waru rau, e whitu tekau tae ki te waru tekau tēnei raruraru. Ka kotahi atu te ohu kirimana Pākehā me ā rātau toki matanui ki te poro rākau.
E haere tū ana tēnei ohu, ka kitea rātau e Rakitu Haerehuka, tamāhine pakeke a Haerehuka. Ka karangangia e ia tana rahi ki te hāpai taiaha, ki te hāpai mere pounamu, ki te aha, ki te aha noa atu ka tere te tauā ki te haukoti i te rahi o te hunga tauiwi e whakatika atu ana ki te poro kahikātea. Ko Rakitu te rangatira o te pahi, ko Puhou tētehi anō o ōna ingoa karanga.
E ingoingo kau ana a Rakitu me tana taiaha kai te huarahi te ohu tauiwi e whakatata mai ana ki ā ia otia ki a rātau ngā uri o Tunohopu. He ahakoa kāore i papatu ngā rākau whawhai tētehi ki tētehi i taumaha te tohe ā kupu. Nō te taunga o te pūehu ka hui katoa ngā tangata ki Te Papa-i-Ōuru, ka whakawākia te take e ngā rangatira nui, ka whia te roa o te hui, e aua hoki.
Ko te mutunga iho ka puta te whakatau a te rūnanga kia waihongia ngā kahikātea kia tu tonu. Takitaro kau iho ka mate te tamaiti tāne a Rakitu, hai whakamāmā i ngā nama o te tangihanga ka haere ētehi o ōna whānaunga he tua rākau te mahi hai aha? Hai whakaea i ngā nama o te tangihanga.
E tū tei ana ngā kahikātea me he rite ki te taimana e tīkapokapo kau ana, ka waiwaiā ngā kanohi o te hunga pākihi ka hoki mai te hiahia ki te tua rākau. Ka nui ki muri ka iti ki mua ka whati anō te rongo mau.
E ora tonu ana a Rakitu engari kāore ia i tū ki te aukati i te hunga tua rākau. Ko tōna taina kē te toa mau taiaha i puta ki te waha tieke, matataki ai. Ko Pipi tōna ingoa. Ka tere a Pipi me tana ngohi ki te whakatāpū i a rātau mahi takahi.
Ka tere a Pipi ki te riri, inā hoki te kaha o tana tū ka oma atu ētehi o te hunga tauiwi ki te tiki pirihimana ki te whakaepaepa i ngā uri o Tunohopu. Ka puta te pirihimana me ā rātau rākau whakarārata, nā reira i tū ai te puehu, i maringi hoki te toto.
Ka rere ngā kupu kaha, ka tukituki ngā rākau whawhai, ka hinga ora nei ētehi o ngā tangata, ko Pipi tētehi. He ahakoa te māia o te tū ā ngā wāhine ki te papare i ngā porohīanga a te ohu tua rākau, i hinga ngā wāhine i te ture o te kawanatanga hou. Nā wai ka rūrīngia te whenua.
Ki te kotahi atu te tangata ki Ngongotahā, kāore e kore ka hipa koe i te uru kahikātea o tā tātau tātai kōrero nei me ngā whenua o Te Pokuru. He waimarie katoa tātau kua hipa te kotahi rau e wha tekau mā toru o ngā tau i tu ai tēnei take, ā, kai te kitea tonutia ēnei rangatira o te ao nehe. Hinga atu ngā tau maha ko te mahi nui ki a tātau katoa ki a rite te tū ki ngā ruruhi o neherā. Ki a Rakitu me Pipi Haerehuka ngā manu taikō o te pōkaitara a Tunohopu.
On the eastern shores of Lake Rotorua nui-a-Kahumatamomoe, nestled below Ngongotahā mountain, lies an area named Waikuta.
The place was so named by the distant ancestor Ihenga as he travelled around the lake region with his family, discovering the kuta plant growing in the water; he naturally named the stream and the surrounding area Waikuta.
It is here at Waikuta that we still find the swamp of Te Pokuru and, more importantly, a stand of Kahikatea trees that formed the basis of a heated discussion that led to an altercation between the armed constabulary and a strong party of Māori rangatira.
It is recorded in the Landmark of Te Arawa volume 1 book presented by the late historian Don Stafford that a dispute arose regarding the native trees found on the block.
Kahikatea trees were purchased and were to be used to construct houses within the village of Ohinemutu; this happened between 1870 -1880.
As the European contractors made their way to commence with the felling of the Kahikatea trees, Rakitu Haerehuka, also known as Puhou, the daughter of the warrior chief Haerehuka, collected her weapons and made her way to intercept the proceedings. She would not allow the felling of the Kahikatea.
Armed with her taiaha, one can only imagine Rakitu standing with her taiaha, defending the grand stand of trees.
There was an altercation between the two parties, which led to a significant discussion at Te Papa i o uru within Tamatekapua. The outcome was that the trees were to be left alone; however, with the death of a son of Rakitu, one was felled to assist with the costs of the tangihanga.
With the Kahikatea standing majestically untouched, the efforts to gain access to the attractive timber continued. Another altercation was inevitable. This time, the dispute lay between a sister of Rakitu and the constabulary. Pipi was the sister now involved in the argument, and like her father before her and her sister Rakitu, Pipi now took up arms to defend the kahikatea trees of Te Pokuru.
A surveying party was seen moving around the area promptly. Pipi and other women formed a warrior band and headed directly to chase the unwanted surveyors of the site and out of the bush.
As a result of this interaction, the armed constabulary was called in. It is recorded that there was a clash, and injuries were recorded, Pipi herself being a victim though not hurt seriously.
Unfortunately, despite solid opposition by these wahine rangatira, the land area was utterly surveyed. Fortunately, the Kahikatea trees have not been touched and stand as they did 143 years ago when these incidents occurred.
There are two outstanding points to this brief story. One, it shows the strength of our kuia who, when forced, took up arms to protect their whenua. Two that, nature needs formidable people like this in order to survive.
E kui e Rakitu, e kui e Pipi ngā manu taiko tiaki i te waha tieke o Te Pokuru e ara e!
Dr Maia Hetaraka: 'Cultural competence' should evolve into genuine cultural understanding.