He maha ōna āhua
E kī ana te kōrero he rerekē te hanga me ngā āhuatanga o tēnā taniwha, o tēnā taniwha. Ahakoa he tipua, ki tā te Māori whakaaro, nō te taiao te taniwha. Kōrero ai ētahi mō te taniwha me tōna kāinga i ngā wai hōhonu o te moana uriuri. Ka whakaaro ētahi mō te taniwha, anō he ngārara nui rawa atu te hanga me te āhua, he kai tangata tana mahi, ka mutu, ka taea e ia te rere ki te rangi. Ko ētahi taniwha anō ō rātou āhua he mangō, he tohorā, he wheke, he rākau tāwhaowhao. Taea ai e ētahi taniwha te whakarerekē i ō rātou āhua.
Ko ētahi taniwha he toa, ko ētahi he uwha. Noho ai te taniwha ki te taha o te wai, ki roto rānei i te wai – ngā roto, ngā awa, ngā repo, ngā moana. Kīia ai ō rātou nohoanga, he rua taniwha; ka mutu, ko ēnei wāhi, he wāhi mōrearea, he wāhi kāore i haerea e te tangata, pērā i te kōpua hōhonu, te ana rānei.
Kei ētahi o ngā kōrero e kī ana he weriweri te taniwha, ko tāna mahi he hopu i te tangata hei kai māna. Arā anō tērā kōrero e kī ana, he wā anō ka kāhakina e te taniwha he wāhine hei hoa mōna. Ko te whakatutukitanga o ēnei tūmomo kōrero taniwha, ka patua te taniwha, ka whakahokia te wahine mauhere ki tōna whānau.
Ko ētahi taniwha ka noho hei kaitiaki i tētahi hapū, tētahi iwi ake rānei. Ka whakanuia ēnei tūmomo taniwha; ki te whakahipa he tangata i te rua o te taniwha, me whakaū a ia, me tuku amonga ki te taniwha – he rau rākau mata pea.
Taniwha me te rangatira
He tohu rangatira te taniwha. Tērā te whakataukī a Waikato:
Waikato taniwha rau, he piko he taniwha.
Kei ētahi whakamārama, he whakataukī tēnei mō te nui o ngā taniwha o te awa o Waikato; heoi, ki ētahi atu whakamārama, he kōrero tēnei mō te nui o ngā rangatira o taua rohe. Waihoki, whakahuatia ai ēnei momo kōrero i te hingatanga o te rangatira; ko te kōrero e whai ake nei he mea tango mai i te apakura mō Te Haupā, rangatira o Ngāti Paoa, inā:
Unuhia noatia te taniwha i te rua. 1
