Kei roto i ngā kōrero tuku iho ngā whakamārama mō te taenga mai o te Māori ki Aotearoa mai i te wāhi e kārangahia ai, ko Hawaiki. Ka pā ngā kōrero nei ki te tārai waka, ngā rīriri i mua i te wehenga, ngā whakawhitinga i te moana uriuri, ngā ūnga, ngā hōparatanga ki uta ki tai, tae atu ki te whakatūnga o ngā papakāinga ki ngā whenua hōu.
Me mārama, ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero tuku iho nō roto mai i ngā puka i ahu mai i te ariā o Te Tāruru Nui (Te Nōhanga Nui). E ai ki te ariā nei nā Kupe te whenua nei i hura i te tau 925 AD i tana haerenga mai i Tahiti. Ā, ka whai muri mai ko Toitehuatahi i te tau 1150 AD; nō te tau 1350 AD ka tae mai ngā tūpuna o ngā iwi Māori ki Aotearoa mai i Tahiti me Rarotonga, mā runga i ngā waka e whitu. Nā ngā rangahau a David Simmons rāua ko Keith Sorrenson i whakaatu kei te hē te ariā nei. Nā runga i ngā mātauranga o ēnei rā pērā i te radiocarbon (he tikanga pūtaiao hei whakarite pēhea te pakeke o tētahi mea) e whakaae ana te nuinga, i nōhia a Aotearoa e tētahi iwi nō te taha rāwhiti o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. He maha ngā waka i whakatika mai i ngā kaupeka katoa o te tau; i tae mai ngā waka tuatahi ki Aotearoa i te takiwā o te rau tau 1200.
Hua mai ana te ariā o Te Heke Nui i ngā mahi a Te Mete [Stephenson Percy Smith], he kaimātai momo tangata, rāua ko Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury, he pūkenga o te ao Māori. Nō tana haerenga ki Rarotonga me Tahiti i te tau 1897, ka mārama a Te Mete ki ngā kōrero o reira. Ko tā Te Whatahoro, he kōrero mō ngā waka Māori i Aotearoa. Kātahi ka ‘tāpaea’ e Te Mete ngā kōrero, e whenumi ai ngā kōrero tuku iho ki ētahi kōrero hōu. I whakaputaina ā rāua kōrero ki ētahi pukapuka e rua, The lore of the whare-wananga me Hawaiki. I hē tā rāua whakapae nā Moihi Te Mātorohanga rāua ko Nēpia Pōhūhū te nuinga o ngā kōrero i ngā pukapuka nei i tuku.
Kei te haere tonu ngā tautohetohe mō te tika o ngā kōrero tuku iho. E ai ki a Te Mete mā, he tika ngā kōrero rā, i runga i te whakaaro ko te kupu ‘waka’ e kōrero ana mō tētahi waka kawe tāngata mai i tāwāhi. Heoi, kāore e whāiti te kōrero tuku iho ki reira anake, i te mea he kōrero huna, he tohu kei roto mō ētahi mea noa atu. E kī ana ētahi kōrero tuku iho, e iwa putu (e 2.7 mita) te tāroaroa o ētahi o ngā tūpuna a te Māori, ko ētahi tūpuna i rere i te rangi, i kauhoe i te wai, i eke taniwha rānei kia tae mai ki Aotearoa. He kupu whakarite te waka a Aoaonui mō te whānautanga mai o te tamaiti ki te ao; ko ngā waka a Rangikēkero rāua ko Rangitōtohu he kupu whakarite mō ngā waka kawe i te hunga mate ki te okiokinga i Te Ao Wairua.
Heoi, arā anō ngā whakaaro o ētahi pērā i a Margaret Orbell e mea ana, he mea whakakotahi noa iho te kōrero tuku iho i te iwi, hei whakaara ake hoki i te tuakiri o te iwi, ehara i te mahinga tūturu. Engari kāore te ariā nei e whai whakaaro ki ngā taunaki hītori, pērā i te ōrite o ētahi ingoa tohu whenua a te Māori ki ērā o ngā iwi o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. Ka whakahē te tumu kōrero a James Belich i ēnei ariā e rua. Ko tāna, he pono tonu kei roto i ngā kōrero tuku iho ahakoa kua hurihia te nuinga hei pūrākau.
E ai ki ngā pūkenga pērā i a David Simmons, tērā pea ko te tokomaha o ngā kōrero mō ngā hekenga a ngā waka e kōrero ana mō ngā heke mai i tētahi wāhi i Aotearoa ki tētahi atu wāhi i Aotearoa. E ai ki a Roger Duff rāua ko Janet Davidson, hei ia hekenga o ngā tūpuna a ngā Māori ka heria ā rātou kōrero ki tēnā moutere, ki tēnā moutere o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Nā reira tērā pea e puritia ana kei ngā kōrero tuku iho o ngā waka ngā kōrero mō ngā haerenga ki roto o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, te hekenga mai o ngā waka ki Aotearoa, te huringa haerenga hoki o ngā waka tōmua i Aotearoa nei. Mēnā koinei te mea tika kāti, kua mārama te take i whenumi ai ngā kōrero tika ki ngā kōrero pūrākau i roto i ngā kōrero tuku iho.
Nāwai rā, ka whai wāhi ngā kōrero tuku iho mō ngā waka ki te tuakiri o te Māori. Mā te whakapapa ki ngā waka ka toitū ngā mana o ngā iwi ki runga i te whenua, ka taea hoki ngā hononga i waenganui i ngā iwi. Hei tauira, he maha ngā iwi ka hono ki a Tainui, ko ētahi iwi pērā i a Te Arawa ka tapaina ki tō rātou waka. Ina tū ana he tangata ki runga marae, kāore e kore ka whakahuatia e rātou tō rātou waka i te tīmatanga o tā rātou whaikōrero.
Nā reira kāore ngā kōrero tuku iho a ngā waka e kōrero mō te takenga mai o te Māori anake, engari ka whakapuaki i te mana, te tuakiri, ngā whenua, ngā hononga hoki o te tangata. Ka nūmia te mōteatea ki te tōrangapū, te hītori ki te pūrākau, te kōrero tika ki te kōrero noa.
Ko Pōhurihanga te rangatira, ko Kurahaupō te waka, ko Ngāti Kurī o Muriwhenua te iwi. Ko tōna ūnga ko Takapaukura, e pātata ana ki Te Rēinga. Ka moe a Pōhurihanga i a Maieke, ka noho ā rāua tamariki ki Kapowairua, te whanga o Pārengarenga, me Murimotu.
I muri i te hokinga a Kupe ki Hawaiki mā runga i a Matawhaorua, ka tāraitia anōtia te waka, ka whakaingoatia e tōna rangatira hōu e Nukutawhiti, ko Ngātokimatawhaorua. Ka whai ngātahi mai ko Māmari i raro i a Ruanui. Nō te ūnga ki Hokianga ka waihangahia e ngā rangatira nei ō rāua whare wānanga. Ka oti tōna whare, ka tomokia e Ruanui, ka mahue te tatari kia oti tō Nukutawhiti whare. Whai atu ko te pakanga mākutu, ā, ka karakia ngā tohunga a Ruanui kia pae he tohorā nui ki uta. Ka karakia ngā tohunga a Nukutawhiti, kia puta taua tohorā ki waho ki te moana. Ka pau ngā karakia a Ruanui, ka hiki te iwi o Māmari ka wehe i te takiwā o Hokianga. Ka ū a Māmari ki Ōmāmari, me Whāngāpē, kei reira tonu ngā uri o Ruanui i ēnei rā. E maumaharatia ana te pakanga mākutu nei ki te ingoa o Hokianga-whakapau-karakia. He waka nui a Ngātokimatawhaorua me Māmari ki a Ngāpuhi rātou ko Te Rarawa, ko Te Aupōuri.
Ko Tinana te waka matua o Te Rarawa me Ngāti Kahu. Nō muri ka whakaingoatia anōtia te waka ko Te Māmaru. Ko Tūmoana tōna kaihautū, ka pae mai te waka ki te pito o Tauroa, e pātata ana ki Ahipara. Ka hoki te waka ki Hawaiki, ka tapaina ko Te Māmaru e Te Parata, te irāmutu a Tūmoana. Kātahi ka hoki mai te waka ki Muriwhenua. Ko te maunga o Pūwheke te whenua tuatahi kia kitea e te iwi, e tū ana ki te kūrae o Karikari. Kātahi ka tere te waka ki Rangiāwhiao me Whatuwhiwhi i mua i te ūnga ki Te Ikateretere, e tata ana ki te pūaha o Taipā. Ka moe a Te Parata i a Kahutiaterangi, te tipuna taketake o Ngāti Kahu.
Ko Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi te waka nui o Ngāti Whātua. E noho ana tēnei iwi i Kaipara, kei waenganui i ngā rohe o Hokianga me Tāmaki-makau-rau. E ai ki te kōrero, nō muri i ngā pakanga whenua ka heke a Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi mai i Waerota, i Waeroti, i Mata-te-rā hoki. Ko ngā kai o runga i te waka ko te uwhi, ko te kūmara, ko te taro. I ū a Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi ki te taha rāwhiti o Te Tai Tokerau ka toro i te takutai ki Whangaroa, ki Tākou, ki Whangaruru. Kei ētahi o ngā kōrero e kī ana i āmio te waka i Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi me Te Tai Rāwhiti i mua i tōna hokinga ki Pārengarenga. Atu i konei ka huri te waka i Te Rēinga ka piki i te tai hauāuru o Te Tai Tokerau.
E ai ki te iwi o Te Roroa o Waipoua, ko Whakatau te kaihautū o te waka o Māhuhu ka ū ki Kawerua. Ka moe a Rongomai te tama a Whakatau, i a Takarita, he tangata whenua. Ko Te Pukenui-o-Rongo tō rāua pā, i tū ki runga ake i te tauranga o Māhuhu.
E ai ki te kōrero a Te Uri-o-Hau rāua ko Te Taoū (nō Ngāti Whātua o Awaroa me Tāmaki), ko Rongomai te rangatira o Māhuhu; ka ū te waka ki Tāporapora, he moutere i tū i ōna rā ki te kūrae o Kaipara. Nāwai rā, ka aituā a Rongomai i tētahi haerenga ki te hī ika. Ka kainga tōna tinana e te araara me te tāmure, ka ākina e ngā toka i Waikāretu. Taka rawa ki ēnei rā e mōhiotia ana tēnei takiwā, ko Te Ākitanga o Rongomai. E ai ki ētahi kōrero i hoki a Māhuhu ki te whanga o Rangaunu i te raki, ka tanumia ki tētahi manga, ko Te Waipopo-o-Māhuhu te ingoa.
He tino kaha ngā pānga o Mataatua ki Te Moananui-a-Toitehuatahi. Nō te tau 1986 ka whakakotahi mai ngā iwi e rua o ngā takiwā nei. E ai ki a Ngāpuhi i mua i te haerenga o Mataatua ki Te Tai Tokerau ka ū te waka ki Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi. Nō muri i te wehenga i Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi ka huri te waka mā Te Rēinga ki te tai hauāuru kia tau ki Hokianga. Mai i Hokianga ka tōia te waka ki Kerikeri kia tau ki ngā wai o Tākou. Ko ētahi atu kōrero e mea ana i tōia te waka mā Te Waka Tō i Tāmaki-makau-rau kia puta ki te tai hauāuru. Kei ētahi kōrero a Ngāpuhi e kī ana, i tau tuatahi a Mataatua ki te raki, nō muri kē ka heke ki Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi. He kōrero anō e mea ana ko Puhi rātou ko Wahineiti, ko Miru ngā kaihautū o tēnei waka. Ko Miru te tangata i huri āmio i Te Ika-a-Māui mā runga i a Mataatua.
E ai ki ngā iwi o Muriwhenua i tau a Tākitimu ki Awanui i Kaitāia; ko Tamatea te tangata o runga. E ai ki ngā iwi o Kaipara i tau anō a Tākitimu ki reira. He maha ngā awa o taua takiwā i whakaingoatia mō ngā tāngata o runga i te waka - a Tamatea, a Kahukuranui, a Ruawharo, a wai atu. Ka tau a Riukakara ki Mangonui; ko Pāoa te tangata o runga. Ko Ruakaramea anō tētahi waka i ū ki Mangonui, ko Moehuri rāua ko tana tama a Tukiato ngā kaihautū. Ko Kaiwhetu rāua ko Wairere ngā kaihautū o Waipapa, ka ū ki te kūrae o Karikari.
Nā Tūnui-ā-rangi te iwi o Ngāi Tāhuhu i mau ki Aotearoa. E kī ana te kōrero ko Motu-kōkako ki roto o Pēwhairangi te wāhi i tau mai ai te waka nei. Atu i reira ka pakaru whakatetonga te waka mā te ākau ki Ngunguru, ki Whāngārei. Ka toro a Ngāi Tāhuhu i te mata o te whenua ka noho i ngā whenua atu i Tāmaki ki Rākau-mangamanga.
E rua ngā kōrero mō te waka nei a Moekākara. E ai ki tētahi i ū mai te waka nei ki te moutere o Te Kawau e pātata ana ki Mahurangi, koinei te taenga mai o ngā tūpuna o te iwi o Te Kawerau ki te rohe nei. Ko tētahi atu kōrero e kī ana ko Manaia kē te rangatira o te waka, ka ū ki Rākau-mangamanga; koinei te take i tau mai ai a Ngāti Manaia ki ngā whenua i waenganui o Rākau-mangamanga me Whāngārei. Arā anō te kōrero e kī ana ko Manaia te rangatira o te waka o Ruakaramea.
I ū mai a Te Wakatūwhenua ki Cape Rodney, takiwā ki Mangawhai. Ko te kōrero, i te mate ngā tāngata o runga, ko te whakapae, i te pāngia rātou ki te mate tūwhenua (leprosy).
E 200 mita te whenua kūiti e wehe ana i te awa o Tāmaki me ngā wai o te whanga o Manukau ki Tāmaki. I mua i te taenga mai o te Pākehā, koinei te tō waka whakahirahira rawa atu, i te mea koinei te tuwheratanga atu ki te tai hauāuru. Ka taea anō te haere ki Waiuku ka tō i ngā waka kia taka atu ki te awa o Waikato, ki te puku o Te Ika-a-Māui. Ko ērā waka ka whiti mā te uru ka haere mā te awa o Tāmaki ki roto o Te Waitematā. Kei tua atu i konei ko Whāngārei i te raki me te kūrae o Moehau i te rāwhiti. Arā anō he huarahi mō ngā waka ki Riverhead, kei te taha whakarunga o Te Waitematā, ā, whakawhiti atu i tētahi tō waka kia taka iho ki roto i te whanga o Kaipara. Atu i konei ka taea a Hokianga, a Pēwhairangi, a Whāngārei hoki mā te taha raki o te awa o Te Wairoa. E ai ki te kōrero, i kūmea katoatia a Matahourua (a Matawhaorua rānei), te waka o Kupe, a Aotea, a Tainui, a Mataatua, a Tokomaru i Te Tō Waka.
I tua atu i ōna pānga ki Te Tai Tokerau, he pānga anō ō Mataatua ki Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi. E ai ki te kōrero, ka tae mai a Hoaki rāua ko Taukata i Hawaiki mā runga i te waka a Hīnakipākau-o-te-rupe. Ko tā rāua ka heri mai he kao kūmara. Ko ēnei kai ka hoatuna mā Toi, tētahi o ngā kaitoro nui, taketake ake hoki o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. Ka tonoa e Toi a Tama-ki-hikurangi kia haere ki Hawaiki kia tiki i te kūmara mā runga i te waka a Te Aratāwhao. Ka noho atu a Tama i Hawaiki, ka whakahokia mai te kūmara ki Aotearoa e Toroa rātou ko tana teina a Puhi, ko tana tuahine a Muriwai, ko ana tamariki a Wairaka rāua ko Ruaihona mā runga i te waka a Mataatua. Ka ū te waka ki Whakatāne. He pērā te whakaingoa i taua wāhi i muri i te mahi a Wairaka, a Muriwai rānei ki te whakaora i te waka o Mataatua, i maunu atu i tōna tauranga. Ka whakapuakina e te wahine rā aua kupu rongonui, ‘Kia whakatāne au i ahau!’
Ko ngā uri o Mataatua i toitū ki te rohe. Ka tū mai ngā uri o Wairaka, o Awanuiarangi, o Tūhoe-pōtiki hei rangatira nui mō Ngāti Awa rāua ko Tūhoe. Ko Muriwai te tipuna whakahirahira o Te Whakatōhea. Nā te whawhai a Puhi rāua ko Toroa mō ngā mahinga ka wehe atu a Puhi me te waka ki Tākou i Te Tai Tokerau. Ko Puhi tētahi o ngā tīpuna nui o te iwi o Ngāpuhi.
Ko Te Aratauwhāiti te waka, ko Tīwakawaka te kaihautū. Ko ia tētahi o ngā waka tōmua i ū ki Whakatāne. Ko rātou o runga e maumaharatia ana ko Haumianui, te wahine a Tīwakawaka, ko ana teina ko Toi-kai-rākau me Hīrawe, ko ētahi atu kaihoe ko Māku, ko Areiawa, ko Turuturu, ko Tokomauku, ko Hīmoki. I tapaina ētahi toka kei te pūaha o te awa o Whakatāne mō rātou. Nā te iwi nei te pā o Kaputerangi i waihanga i runga ake i te tāone o Whakatāne. Kei ētahi atu kōrero e kī ana i tae a Māku mā runga i tētahi atu waka, i mua rānei, i muri rānei o Tīwakawaka.
He kōrero anō mō ngā waka e whitu nei i Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi:
Ko Tāwhirirangi te waka o Ngāhue. I tau a Ngāhue ki Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi kātahi ka toro haere ki ngā takiwā o Aotearoa. E ai ki ngā kōrero ko Ngāhue te tangata tuatahi kia kite i te pounamu me te moa ki Te Wai Pounamu. Nō tana hokinga ki Hawaiki ka mauria e ia ētahi toki pounamu hei hahau i ngā waka rongonui ka heke ki Aotearoa ā tōna wā.
Ka tipu te raruraru i waenganui i a Houmaitawhiti rātou ko ana tama a Tamatekapua rāua ko Whakatūria ki a Toi rāua ko Uenuku mō ngā mahinga kai, ka wehe mai a Te Arawa i Hawaiki. Nō te matenga o Whakatūria ka wehe atu a Tamatekapua me tōna iwi mā runga i a Te Arawa. Nāna i kāhaki a Whakaotirangi, te wahine a Ruaeo, he rangatira nui. Kia puta atu ki te moana, ka tahuri a Tama ki te raweke i te wahine a Ngātoroirangi (Ngātoro). Hei utu ka meatia e Ngātoroirangi te waka kia totohu ki Te Korokoro-o-te-Parata. Ka pukuaroha atu a Ngātoroirangi ki ngā tangi o te iwi, ka tukuna e ia kia ora. E ai ki ētahi nā tētahi arawa (momo mango) te iwi i puta i te mate. Nō muri mai ka whakahuahia ai te waka, ko Te Arawa.
Nō te ūnga o te waka ki Whangaparāoa ka pōhēhē a Taininihi he kura ngā hua o te rātā me te pōhutukawa e kānapanapa mai rā ki tātahi. Ka porowhiua e ia tōna ake hutukawa. Ko ngā takiwā i haerea e Te Arawa ko Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi, ko Moehau, ko Tāmaki. Ko Maketū i Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi tōna tauranga otinga.
Arā anō ngā tīpuna o Te Arawa i takahi i ngā huarahi ki uta. Ka haere rā a Īhenga rāua ko Kahumatamomoe ki Rotorua, ki Waikato, ki Whāingaroa, tae atu ki ngā whanga o Manukau, o Kaipara hoki; i mātaki rāua i te rohe o Pēwhairangi i mua i te hokinga ki Maketū. Mā te tai rawhiti rāua hoki ai. Ko Ngātoro rāua ko Tia ka kuhu whakaroto ki te moana o Taupō. Ka tae a Tia ki te ngahere o Pureora, ka kake i te maunga o Tītīraupenga; ka piki a Ngātoro ki te tihi o Tongariro. Ka tata mate a Ngātoro i te anuanu me te mātaotao. I tana karanga atu ki ana tuāhine kia tukua he ahi hei whakamahana i a ia, ka wera ngā takiwā atu i Whakaari ki Tongariro.
Ka toitū ngā uri o Hei rātou ko Waitaha, ko Tapuika ki Maketū. Mātoro katoa atu ngā tamariki a Rangitihi ki ngā takiwā o Rotorua. Ko ngā uri o Ngātoro i noho tonu ki Taupō, ā, ka ngaro tō rātou tuakiri ki roto i te iwi o Ngāti Tūwharetoa.
Ko Tainui te waka, ko Hoturoa te tangata. I te ūnga o te waka ki Whangaparāoa, i reira anō a Te Arawa. Nō te paenga o te parāoa ki reira ka tapaina taua wāhi ko Whangaparāoa. Ka tahuri ngā iwi rā ki te taunaha i te parāoa rā, ōna kiko, āna kōiwi, ōna rei, hei kai, hei taonga, hei whao, hei rākau patu tangata. Arā anō te kōrero e mea ana, nā tētahi o ngā iwi nei, nā rāua tahi rānei ā rāua taura i wera kia tūturu ake te āhua ki ngā taura o tētahi, e taea ai e tētahi te taunaha i te ika nā te tawhito o te taura e here ana i te parāoa.
Ka tere a Tainui atu i Whangaparāoa ki Tōrere, ki Tauranga, ki Moehau me Tāmaki. Kei ngā wāhi ka tū te waka, ka makere ētahi tāngata. Ka ū te waka ki Te Haukapua (Torpedo Bay) e tūtata ana ki North Head i Tāmaki-makau-rau, ka piki whakarunga mā te awa o Tāmaki ki Ōtāhuhu. Mā Te Tō Waka ka taupae atu te waka ki roto i te whanga o Manukau. Ka puta atu te waka i Manukau ki te tonga mā te tai hauāuru. Ka makere ētahi o ngā kauhoe ki Whāingaroa me Mōkau i mua i te tāpuketanga o te waka ki Te Ahurei kei Kāwhia Moana. E rua ngā toka e tohu ana i tōna takotoranga whakamutunga.
E ai ki ngā kōrero i whakarerea te tohunga a Rakataura ki Hawaiki, ā, i ū mai ia ki Aotearoa mā runga i tētahi taniwha; ko ētahi e kī ana i hīkoi mai ia i raro i te whenua. Ko te āhua nei, he maha ngā tautohetohe i waenganui i a Rakataura rāua ko Hoturoa. Tērā te kōrero i riri a Hoturoa ki a Rakataura nā te whākitanga o tērā i ngā mahi pūremu a tana wahine a Marama me tētahi ware. Arā anō te kōrero i ngana a Hoturoa kia kaua e moe tana tamāhine a Kahurere ki a Rakataura. E ai ki tētahi anō kōrero, i te hahautanga o te waka, ka patua a Kōwhitinui, te tama a Rakataura, ka tāpukehia a ia ki ngā maramara o te waka.
E kī ana te kōrero he ingoa tawhito a Ngā Māhanga a Tuamatua mō Tainui rāua ko Te Arawa. Nā Tā Āpirana Ngata te korero, he waka hourua kē ngā waka nei, ko Hoturoa te rangatira o tētahi takere, ko Tamatekapua te rangatira o tētahi takere. E ai ki a Ngata, nō te taenga pea o te waka ki Aotearoa ka wāhia ngā takere o te waka kia wehe. E tautokohia ana te ariā nei e te maha o ngā ōritenga i ngā kōrero tuku iho. He tupuna whakahirahira a Tuamatua, nō Tamatekapua rāua tahi ko Hoturoa. Kei ngā kōrero o ngā waka e rua a Ngātoroirangi e kōrerohia ana, tae atu anō ki a Whakaotirangi me tāna kete kūmara. Kōrero ai a Te Arawa mō ‘te kete-rokiroki-a-Whakaotirangi”; ka kōrero kē ngā iwi o Tainui mō ‘te-kete-rukuruku-a-Whakaotirangi’. Arā anō ngā kōrero mō te tohorā i pae ki Whangaparāoa, me te whakareretanga o ngā kura ki te moana. E whakapae tonu ana ngā taha e rua nei nā rātou a Mumuhou rāua ko Takeretou i waiho ki te moutere o Repanga. He ōrite anō ngā tau whakatere i ngā waka nei.
E ai ki te kōrero, nā Ngātoroirangi te waka a Tōtara-i-kāria i whakahoki ki Hawaiki, ka pakanga ki a Manaia i Ihumotomotokia me Whatatiri. Ka patua e ia a Manaia, ka hoki ia ki tōna pā i Mōtītī i Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi. Heoi anō, ka tae mai ki Aotearoa ngā waka e kawe ana i ngā mōrehu o te iwi o Manaia e ranaki ana i ō rātou mate. Ka karakia a Ngātoro, ka kino te moana, ka whakangaromia taua iwi ki te pō. He waka tawhito a Aotearoa i arahina e Mokotōrea, ka tau ki Aotea i mua i te ūnga o Tainui ki reira.
E ai ki a Ngāti Porou, ko te waka a Māui, ko Nukutaimemeha tō rātou waka taketake. E ai ki ngā tikanga, e noho huripapa ana a ia ki runga o Hikurangi.
Ko Whironui te tipuna tuatahi kia tae mai mā runga i tōna waka a Nukutere. Ko Whiro (ki Hawai’i, ko Hilo, ki Tahiti ko Hiro, ki Rarotonga ko Iro) te kaihōpara rongonui rawa o te pito rāwhiti o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. Ko Araiara tana wahine. Ka moe tā rāua tamāhine a Huturangi i a Paikea. Ka tae mai a Paikea mā runga i te tohorā. I te wā e heru ana a Uenuku i ngā makawe o ana tama i te whakarewanga o tō rātou waka hōu, ka nanao ia ki te heru tapu hei heru i ngā makawe o Kahutiaterangi (Paikea). Kia tae mai ki tērā o ana tama a Ruatapu, ka mea atu a Uenuku mā Ruatapu tonu e kimi heru hei heru i ōna makawe, i te mea he tama meamea noa iho a ia. Ka mate a Ruatapu i te whakatakariri, ka werohia e ia he puare ki tō rātou waka ka whakapurua. Nō te putanga atu o tō ratou waka me ana teina ki waho ki te moana, ka tangohia e ia te puru, ka kī te waka i te wai, ka taupoki. Ko Paikea (Kahutiaterangi) anake te mōrehu.
Ka taki a Paikea i ana karakia ki ngā kaitiaki o te moana kia manaakitia ia. Ka tae mai he tohorā, ka kawea ia ki te moutere o Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island). Atu i konei ka rere ia ki Whakatāne, tau rawa atu ki Whāngārā, ki roto o Te Tai Rāwhiti. Ka moe a Paikea i a Huturangi, te tamāhine a Whironui kia puta ngā tīpuna taketake o Ngāti Porou. E kī ana te kōrero, kua hurihia te tohorā nāna a Paikea i kawe mai ki Aotearoa hei toka kei waho i te one o Whāngārā.
Ko Toi te tangata tūhura whenua o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa; ko ia te rangatira o tēnei waka. I tētahi rā ka tae mai he manuhiri nō Hawaiki, ko Kahukura tōna ingoa. He kao kūmara tāna. Kāore anō te tangata whenua kia kai i tēnei kai te kūmara. Nō konei ka tono a Toi kia hoki a Kahukura ki Hawaiki mā runga i a Horouta ki te tiki i te kūmara. Ka riro mai ngā kūmara, ka tonoa e Kahukura a Pāoa (Pawa rānei) hei rangatira mō te waka i tōna hokinga ki Aotearoa.
Ka ū te waka ki Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island), ka heke a Kanawa ki te tiki aruhe mā te iwi. Ka ranua e ia te aruhe ki te kūmara. He hapanga nui tēnei, i te mea he kai rangatira te kūmara, kāore e pai kia kīnakitia ki tētahi atu kai. Waihoki ka porowhiua a Kanawa ki te moana ki waho o Whakatāne. I konei ka tuki a Horouta i te tāhuna, ka whati te haumi. Ka tōia te waka ki uta. Ka whakatika a Pāoa me tōna iwi ki te kimi i tētahi rākau tika hei tapitapi i te waka. Ko Awapaka mā ka haere ki te hopu manu hei kai mā te hunga e whakatikatika ana i te waka. I noho a Rangitūroua mā ki te waka.
Ka kitea e Pāoa he rākau tōtika i tētahi maunga, ka tapaina ko Maunga Haumi. Nā te pāpaku o ngā kōawa hei whakatere i ngā rākau ki te moana, ka mimi a Paoa kia rere ngā awa o Waioeka, o Waikohu, o Waipāoa, o Mōtū. Ka whakatikangia te waka, ka huri āmio i te Whanga-o-Kena (East Cape) kia tae ki Tūranganui. Ka hīkoi a Awapaka rāua ko Pāoa mā raro ki Tūranganui. Ko tētahi atu o runga i te waka, a Hinekauirangi i hīkoi mā Ōhiwa ki te kōawa o Tapuwaeroa, ki Tūranganui i te tonga. Ko ngā uri o tēnei waka ko Ngāti Ruapani, ko Rongowhakaata, ko Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, ko Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti.
He maha ngā takiwā e mōhiotia nei te waka a Tākitimu. E kī ana ngā kōrero o ngā iwi o te taha raki o Te Tai Rāwhiti, ko ngā taupatupatu i waenganui i ngā iwi o Uenuku, o Ruawharo me Tūpai, te take i wehe ai a Tākitimu i Hawaiki. E kī ana te kōrero ka kahakina a Tākitimu e Ruawharo rāua ko tana teina a Tūpai i te hoariri, ka rere ki Aotearoa. Ko Ruawharo te kaihautū me te tohunga o te waka. Ka tau te waka ki Whanga-o-Kena (East Cape) i Te Tai Rāwhiti. Nō muri mai ka whanake te waka ki Nukutaurua; ka makere iho ngā tāngata i reira. Ka noho a Ruawharo ki Te Māhia, ka haere a Puhiariki ki Muriwhenua, ko ētahi ka haere ki Tauranga.
Ki tā ngā iwi o Te Tai Rāwhiti ki te tonga, nā ngā tautohetohe mō ngā māra kai, a ‘Tawarunga’ rāua ko ‘Tawararo’ ka wehe a Tākitimu i Hawaiki. Ko Whāngārā te wāhi i tāraitia ai te waka. Ko Tamatea Arikinui tōna kaihautū. Ka ū te waka ki Tauranga ka makere a Tamatea. Nā ētahi atu te waka i whakatere ki Te Tai Rāwhiti; ka whakarerea he tāngata ki te awa o Waiapu, ki Ūawa, ki Tūranganui, ki Nukutaurua (Te Māhia), ki Te Wairoa, ki te awa o Mōhaka, ki Pōrangahau hoki. Nō muri ka hīkoi a Tamatea ki Te Māhia, ki Tūranganui ki te taunaha i te whenua.
E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a ngā iwi o Te Tai Tokerau me Tauranga, kotahi anake te tipuna nei a Tamatea; kei ngā kōrero tuku iho a Ngāti Kahungunu e mea ana he mokopuna tā Tamatea Ariki Nui, ko Tamatea–pōkai-whenua, pōkai-moana. I a ia ka noho ki Kaitāia, ka whānau mai te tama a Tamatea-pōkai-moana, ko Kahungunu. Ko ia te tipuna taketake o Ngāti Kahungunu.
Kei ngā kōrero tōmua o Taranaki e mea ana, i tipu mai te riri ki Hawaiki nō te raweketanga o Rongotiki, te wahine a Manaia e te rōpū mahi huata a Tūpenu. Ka patua e te iwi o Manaia ngā kaimahi rā, ka riro i a Manaia te waka a Tokomaru, ko Rākeiora te tohunga. Ka tae te waka ki te pito rāwhiti o Te Ika-a-Māui, ka whakahipa i Te Rēinga, ka whakawhiti rānei i Te Tō Waka i Tāmaki-makau-rau, ka rere ki Tongapōrutu i Taranaki.
He kōrero anō tā Taranaki e kī ana ko Manaia te rangatira o te waka a Tahatuna, ko Whata te rangatira me te kaitārai o te waka a Tokomaru. Ko Rākeiora rāua ko Tama-ariki ngā kaiurungi, ka ū te waka ki te awa o Mōhakatino. Ko Tama-ariki te tipuna taketake o Ngāti Tama. I te matenga o Rākeiora, ka whakanuia a ia hei atua mō te kūmara.
E kī ana ngā iwi o Taranaki, ko Te Moungaroa te rangatira o te waka a Kurahaupō. Ka tuki te waka i Hawaiki, i Rangitāhua rānei. Ka mauria ngā kauhoe ki Aotearoa mā runga i a Mataatua me Aotea. E ai ki te iwi o Rangitāne, ko Whātonga kē te rangatira o tēnei waka, ā, ko Te Māhia te wāhi i tuki ai te waka. E whakaae ana a Ngāti Apa i ū te waka ki Te Māhia, engari ko Ruatea kē te rangatira. I haere a Whātonga i tana haerenga roa atu i Te Māhia ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara, whakawhiti i Te Moana-o-Raukawa ki te tauihu o te waka a Maui, piki i te tai hauāuru ki te awa o Rangitīkei. He kōrero anō mō tēnei waka kei Te Tai Tokerau.
Nā ngā kōwhetewhete i waenganui i a Turi me Uenuku, ka wehe te waka o Aotea i Hawaiki. Ka mauāhara a Uenuku mō te koha i tukuna e Turi ki a ia, ka patua e ia a Pōtikiroroa te tama a Turi. Hei utu, ka patua e Turi a Awepōtiki, te tama a Uenuku, ka tunua tōna manawa, ka kohahia ki a Uenuku, ka kainga e tērā. Nō tana mōhio ko tana tama tērā i kainga e ia, ka whakaara a Uenuku i tana ope taua hei kōkiri i a Turi. Ka riro mai i a Turi a Aotea, te waka o tōna hungarei a Toto, ka wehe atu ki te moana. Ka whai atu a Te Ririno ki tōna taha. Ka ngaro a Te Ririno ki Te Moana Tāpokopoko a Tāwhaki. Ka ū a Aotea ki Hawaiki-iti, he kokori kei te whanga o Aotea, kei te taha raki o Kāwhia.
I te ūnga mai, ka whakarerea te waka, ka hīkoi te iwi ki te tonga. Ko ngā awa me ngā kōawa i kite rātou ka tapaina ki ngā mahi a Turi i te haerenga nei. Kia tae a Turi me tana tira ki te awa o Pātea, ka tau te iwi nei. Ka rumaki kūmara a Rongorongo, te wahine a Turi ki konei. Ka moe tana tamāhine a Tāneroroa i a Uenuku-puanake, ka noho ō rāua uri ki te taha raki o te awa o Pātea. I tōna wā, ka tū rātou ko Ngāti Ruanui. Ka nōhia e ngā uri o tana tama a Tūranga-i-mua te awa o Pātea ahu atu ki Waitōtara i te tonga me te awa o Whanganui; i reira ka taka rātou ki raro i a Ngā Rauru. Ko te whakataukī rongonui o tēnei waka inā, ‘E kore e ngaro te kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea’. Ko te whakapono koinei te moutere o Rangiātea e pātata atu ana ki Tahiti, e kōrerotia nei.
Arā anō tētahi kōrero o Taranaki e mea ana, i tau mai ētahi o ngā iwi tōmua o Aotearoa i ngā waka e toru ka ū ki Ngāmotu, arā a Kahutara, a Taikōria, me Ōkoki. Ko Maruiwi rātou Ruatāmore, ko Taitāwaro ngā rangatira. Ka maumahara anō ki ngā rangatira a Pohokura (te teina a Taitāwaro) rātou ko Panenehu, ko Tāmaki. Ka mōhiotia ngā uri o ngā waka nei ko Te Tini-o-Maruiwi, ko Te Tini-o-Ruatāmore, ko Te Tini-o-Taitāwaro, ko Te Tini-o-Te Panenehu, ko Koaupari, ko Te Wīwini.
E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a ngā iwi o Ngāti Ruanui me Ngā Rauru, e rima atu ngā waka me ō rātou rangatira; arā ko:
Ka hoki a Mānuka ki Hawaiki ki te tiki i te kūmara. Ahakoa i riro mai he kūmara kīhai ngā kōpura i tipu nā te mātao o Te Wai Pounamu.
E kī ana te kōrero nā Roko, (Rongo-i-tua rānei) tētahi momo kūmara i mau mai i Hawaiki mā runga i te waka a Ārai-te-uru. Heoi, ka totohu, ka tahuri te waka ka taka ētahi o ngā kauhoe ki te moana. E whā ngā ngaru nui i tuki i te waka, ko aua ngaru e tū ana hei puke ki te pae maunga o Pakihiwitahi i te raki o Ōtākou. Ka taka ētahi o ngā kūmara ki Kaihīnaki me Te Whatapāraerae, e mōhiotia nei i ēnei rā, ko ngā toka o Moeraki (Moeraki Boulders). Ka pakaru a Ārai-te-uru ki Matakaea i te tonga, ka huri hei tāhuna.
Ko Uruaokapuarangi (Uruao) te waka, ko Rākaihautū te tangata o runga. Ka whai mai tana wahine a Waiariki-o-āio rāua ko tana tama a Rakihouia i a ia. Ko Whakatū te wāhi i ū mai te waka nei. Nō te ūnga o te waka, ka heke a Rākaihautū me ētahi atu ka ahu ki te tonga mā te tuawhenua. I a ia ka haere, ka keria e ia ngā roto o Te Wai Pounamu (ko Rotoiti me Rotoroa) ki tana kō, ko Tūwhakarōria te ingoa. Arā anō ngā roto i hangaia e ia ki tana kō – a Pūkaki, Ōhau, Tekapō ki te taha tonga o Waitaha, a Wānaka me Hāwea i Ōtākou, a Wakatipu me Te Ānau ki Murihiku. Nō tana taenga ki Te Ara-a-Kiwa (Foveaux Strait) ka haere a Rākaihautū mā te takutai o te taha rāwhiti o Te Wai Pounamu, he tūhura whenua te mahi.
I taua wā anō e whakatere ana a Rakihouia i a Uruao mā te taha rāwhiti o Te Wai Pounamu ki te tonga. Ko tana mahi he taunaha i te whenua. Ko tōna ingoa mō ngā paripari i Kaikōura, ko Te Whatakai-a-Rakihouia. Ka poua ana pou ki ngā pūaha i te takutai o Waitaha, hei tohu ki tōna mana ki runga i ngā mahinga tuna, ko Kā Poupou-o-Rakihouia ērā. Ka tūtaki a Rakihouia ki tōna matua, ka heke rātou ki Horomaka (Banks Peninsula), ka poua e Rākaihautū tana kō ki tētahi puke (ko Pūhai), ka tapaina anōtia ko Tuhirangi. Ka noho ō rātou uri ki ngā raorao o Waitaha, ka whakaingoatia taua takiwā, ko Kā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha.
He kōrero anō kei Te Wai Pounamu mō Tākitimu. Ka haere a Tamatea ki Te Tai Poutini kia kite i aua whenua. Ka pakaru te waka ki Te Waewae i te pito tonga o Te Wai Pounamu; i ēnei rā, kua huri te waka hei pae maunga, ko te pae maunga o Tamatea. He kōrero anō e mea ana, nō te pakarutanga o Tākitimu, ka hangaia anō e Tamatea he waka hōu, ko Kāraerae. Koinei te waka i hoki ai a Tamatea ki Te Ika-a-Māui.
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