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Ka moe anō a Rangitihi i tana wāhine tuatoru. Ko Papawharanui. E ai ki ētehi o ngā kaumātua ko Papawharanui he uri heke iho nā Waitaha. Ko Waitaha he tamaiti tāne nā Hei. Ko Hei tētehi o ngā rangatira nui onamata.
Wheoi anō rā ka heke iho ki a Tuwharekohuru ka rere i muri ko Papawharanui, he tuakana taina rāua. Tēnā tēnā. Kai ētehi anō hoki ko Papawharanui he wahine rangatira nō te tai rāwhaiti nō Tūranga nui a Kiwa. Ko Ruapani tona tuakana. Ko Ruapani tētehi rangatira whawhai nui hoki onamata. Ā tēnā tēnā. He ahakoa te tātai kōrero ka kitea e tātau nā wai rā ka hoki mai a Ruapani ki te tākai i a Tūhourangi ki tōna kaitaka paepaeroa. Taria te roanga atu o tēnei kōrero.
E hapū ana a Papawharanui ka nui hoki tana taumaha. Kai ngā whenua o Kawerau a Rangitihi me tōna wahine rangatira nei. E whāia ana rāua e te hoariri. Ka kī atu a Rangitihi ki a Papawharanui māna tētehi huarahi e puta ai rāua ko tā rāua pepi ki te ao māna, mā Rangitihi tētehi anō huarahi, kia whāia ōna tapuwae e te hoariri. Ka wehe rāua. Āna e tika hoki tana whakapae.
Whāia rawatia a Rangitihi e te hoariri. Ko Papawharanui ka tū ki tētehi wāhi kai reira tētehi pōwhatu e tū ana, ko Otāmaka ara ko Te Whānautanga o Tūhourangi te wāhi tapu ināianei. ka huna rāua ko tana pēpi. Kātahi ka awhi e ia te pōwhatu, ko tana kōpu ki raro i te ngutu pōwhatu ka āta piki ia kia pāngia tana kōpu ki te pōwhatu ka roa pea, ka iti pea e pēnei ana, ka whānau mai a Tūhourangi, i whānau tere mai. Ka ora.
Ka pakekengia a Rangitihi he rite tōna kaha ki tōna matua tāne. He hōkai taumata ki te riri, he manawa kaha e rite tahi nei ki te honuwai. Kai te kī ētehi ko Tūhourangi he tangata papatu taniwha i ngā rā onamata e muia ana Te Pōkohu, he whenua kai Tarawera i ngā ngārara, kai reira anō te take i wehe atu ai a Tarawhai i ngā whenua rā. Wheoi anō, ki a hoki anō tātau ki Pākotore.
Kai reira ngā tuakana me ngā taina e noho tahi ana. Ka kino hoki te whakahāweatanga o Tūhourangi e ōna tangata. Kai te pepehā e mea ana, ko Tūhourangi kai mātotao. Nā tēnei tūāhuatanga ka whakatūngia e Rangitihi tana pāwaenga ki runga ki te whatitoka o Nukutere tōna kāinga. Ka mea atu e ia ki a Tūhourangi kia wherangia ōna waewae.
Nā kai runga a Tūhourangi e tū ana. Ka karangangia e Rangitihi āna tamariki ki te whare. Ka tūpou ngā mahunga ka kuhu mai, na wai rā ka kite atu a Tūhourangi e tū ana, ka pā mai te whakamā ki tētehi, ka hinga anō tētehi i a Tūhourangi a wai atu, a wai atu, a wai atu. Ko tētehi o rātau i puta ko Te Rātōrua. Koia tonu te ariki matamata a Rangitihi.
Kai a Ngāti Pikiao hoki te kōrero ko Kawatapuarangi anō tētehi i ora, kai ētehi anō te kī , koinā anō te take ka moe a Kawatapuarangi i a Te Rangikawekura he tamāhine nā Rātōrua e mana ai anō tōna kāwai, wheoi anō he kōrero kē atu. Ko te wāhanga whakamutunga o tēnei tātai kōrero e pā ana ki a Ruapani. Ka mate a Ruapani ka haramai a Rangitihi rāua ko Tūhourangi ki Turanga ki te uhunga. Ka whakamoea a Rongomaipapa te pouaru o Ruapani ki tana pōtiki ki a Tūhourangi, nā ka puta ki waho ko ngā uri o Tūhourangi.
Papawharanui was the third wife of Rangitihi. There is a discrepancy as to the origin of Papawharanui. Past genealogist experts commonly recall that Papawharanui was a sister to a local chief named Tuwharekohuru and was a descendant of Waitaha, a son of the famous Arawa chief named Hei.
Another story states that Papawharanui was not of Te Arawa stock but rather a chieftainess who hailed from Turanga and was the sister of a warrior chief named Ruapani.
Ruapani, we find, becomes a part of the initial thread that cloaks the chief Tūhourangi; however, we will discuss this as we move through this short biography of Tūhourangi.
Papawharanui, although heavy with a child, was a constant travel companion of her husband. One day near the present town of Kawerau, Rangitihi and his wife were threatened with death.
Ohaukaka Pa Whakairo looking from Paritangi. Photo / Raimona Inia
As their foe promised to follow them and inflict harm, Rangitihi took his wife and promptly departed. He turned to his wife, Papawharanui and advised her to make haste while Rangitihi would draw their followers to ensure that she could flee to safety.
Today in the area of Kawerau stands a special site called Otāmaka where Papawharanui pushed herself against a great rock to give birth to her son Tūhourangi. All the while, her partner Rangitihi, kept the enemy at bay. And so was Tūhourangi born.
In time a warrior who would match his father in stamina and verocity upon the battlefield. Often Tūhourangi is said to have been one who tamed or destroyed the many taniwha of the Pokohu land blocks. But before this time, we also hear of his mistreatment by his siblings. Following Papawharanui, Rangitihi took another wife, Manawakotokoto, and three more children were born by her. In total, eight children. By four wives, three of which were sisters.
Maybe this fact caused animosity towards Tūhourangi, or perhaps it was through share jealousy. Tūhourangi was commonly served cold meals; often, the top portion of the meal was warm; however, as he dug deeper, it was apparent that the remainder was cold. It was a recurring problem. This mistreatment and other forms of abuse prompted Rangitihi to act. He, therefore, called his son one day to stand above the entrance of his house, Nukutere.
Without telling anyone else, he summoned his seven remaining children. Unbeknown to any of them, they passed below their young sibling one by one, subsequently elevating his status. Depending on what sub-tribe you are from, the story differs. It is acknowledged that the eldest child, Rātorua, was spared this shame as he was the most senior male of Rangitihi. Ngāti Pikiao shared that their ancestor Kawatapuarangi managed to avoid this embarrassment, and so did Rākeiao.
I’m sure due to tribal pride we all collectively would say that no one passed below the young chief Tūhourangi. The fact that we have the story tells us it happened.
It was, however, a clear single to all that such nonsense would not be tolerated by their father. Lastly, it would seem that Tūhourangi was a favoured son of Rangitihi for not only was he given Rakaitahaenui as a wife by his father, but jointly they travelled to Turanga on hearing that Ruapani, a great chief, had been killed. Tūhourangi avenged the death of Ruapani and, in doing so, took the widow of Ruapani, Rongomaipapa as his wife.
