Making Trax To Ngatapuwai
Te Ngakau O Te Whenua
Kaiwhare
Kaiwhare was a taniwha who lived just south of Piha in an underwater cave with a blow hole that he would often spout through.
He was well known by the people there abouts and they would send an offering out to him each day on a little raft with a miniature house atop it.If the food was gone the following day then they would know that all was good between them and the taniwha.
Many summers drifted by and Kaiwhare was satisfied to venture out visiting Manukau and accepting the peoples offering.But then came a time when the offerings were gone and also some people were missing.Every week more and more people disappeared and it became known that Kaiwhare was probably responsible.The people stopped fishing all together which was not a good thing for they relied heavily on the foods from the sea. Even the mudflats could not be ventured out on to for the men were going missing from there as well while spearing flounder.
The people became desparate for their very existence depended on the use of the ocean and then one day they heard word of a man named Tamure. It was said that he possessed a powerful greenstone patu that had slain many taniwha, some of which were notorious, and so they sent a messenger to ask him for aid.
Tamure was quite magical himself and when the messenger arrived and pleaded with him, he accepted and left at once.He could stride from one hilltop to the next and in so doing could bound over the rivers along the way. He arrived at Manukau many days before the messenger had a chance to return home with the good news, to crowds of hopeful people and on learning all that had happened he laid a plan and told the people what they had to do in order to help him defeat Kaiwhare.
On the chosen day the weather was fine and the men from the village went about as if everything were normal.Some went to the flats to spear for flounder and others, only the bravest, went upon their canoes to fish in the deep.They were all very nervous but full of hope that their hero knew what he was doing.
Tamure crept silently to hide above Kaiwhares cave.He lay in wait as close as he could get.
Kaiwhare sensed activity in the waters and began to stir.He slowly rose up, out of his cave and just as his head emerged Tamure gave a mighty blow with his powerful greenstone patu. Kaiwhare roared in agony, his body writhed and lashed about with the immense pain causing cliffs to crumble and Tamure had to speed to avoid the avalanche, so did not get to hit the taniwha again.
As it turned out Kaiwhare was so wounded that he could not venture out into the open seas again and had to satisfy his hunger with the sea creatures who wondered near enough to his cave.
If you ever visit Piha in the Waitakere Ranges look for a place they call The Gap.It is a tall tunnel through a cliff where Kaiwhare lives.You will see the rock above his cave as a levelled stretch from when he lashed about making it so.
Haumapuhia
Mahu lived by Lake Waikaremoana many years ago with his daughter Haumapuhia.
They had a quiet life but Mahu would become angry quite often because his daughter was very lazy.She would plod around in a dreamy state more often than not and sometimes would forget the task at hand.
One day Mahu asked his daughter to fetch water and she refused. Again he asked and again she shook her head and remained sitting where she was. Mahu asked one final time, his anger beginning to rise and when she again refused he stomped forward and gripped her hard by her arm.
As he marched her out the door he grabbed two calabashes which he planned to force her to fill and on they went to the waters edge.
Haumapuhia would not respond to Mahus forceful approach and fuming with anger Mahu sent his daughter flying into the dark clear waters of Lake Waikaremoana. Right before Mahus eyes she turned into a Taniwha and just as instantly Mahu regretted his swift actions.
He sat on the grassy bank and hopelessly watched as his daughter took on the instincts of the taniwha and sought to find her way to the ocean.Oh how he wept at her attempts at channelling through the very banks of the lake creating branches that still remain today.Finally she thrust downwards burrowing as far as she could.All through the dark hours she burrowed until with the dawning light when all magic ends Haumapuhia turned to stone.
For many years Mahu travelled to the ocean to collect shellfish and lamprey for his daughter.A small gift to her for his harsh actions and still today you will find lamprey within the waters of Lake Waikaremoana.As for the shellfish, none may be found still living but you will find it fossilized in the rock strata.
The Taniwaha of Hokianga.
Some say that it was the great waka Mamari, others will say Takitimu that was accompanied by a female guardian taniwha named Araiteuru. She was pregnant at the time and not long after the great arrival she gave birth to eleven babies, all boys.
As they grew they would set out to explore and would use their nosesto dig trenches as they went. This created the many branches of the Hokianga Harbour.
Araiteuru lives in a cave on the south head of the Hokianga Harbour and is regarded as the guardian of that district. Her Partner, Hiwa resides on the north Head of the harbour. At earlier times it was thought that her anger would raise storms to wreck ships on the bar and also it was believed that the leading tohunga, Te Waenga, of the Hokianga people had the power to command her to send heavy seas or to calm them. This was around 1830.
There is a cave not too far away from Araiteurus own that has been used through the ages to lay to rest the bones of people from that area. Perhaps they felt that she would guard them in death also.
One of Araiteurus children named Ohopa had anger management issues and became so enraged at the amount of rocks that would always block his way that he took it out on every living thing he ever saw.He was a notorious taniwha who would terrorise the people who lived near Panguru Mountain for many many years.
Another son named Waihou decided to create his own home to lord over.He borrowed inland and when he was satisfied with his choice of area he lashed his tail about furiously and created Lake Omapere.A few of her children chose to stay with their mother and probably still reside in the Hokianga Harbour even today.
