Roto-kautuku — the lake where Paikea met Huturangi.
THE story of Paikea is perhaps the most widely known in the Tairāwhiti region. Paikea himself has been enshrined in waiata (song) and kōrero (stories) and more recently, gained world-wide prominence in the hit movie, The Whalerider.
The full story of Paikea will be told in another issue. For the moment we will only focus on his stopover in Rangitukia for, unlike other places he stopped at, this would prove to be the most important stop of all.
You see, Paikea (aka 1350) was the original whalerider. In the aftermath of the battle of Te Huripureiata with his brother, Ruatapu, Paikea, through incantation, was able to summons the whales of the oceans who returned him safely to shore.
He landed initially at Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island) before continuing on his way and stopping at Te Kautuku in Rangitukia. While exploring the local terrain he came upon a young woman bathing in a small hilltop lake. In fright the woman picked up her clothes and hurried back to her village, with Paikea in pursuit.
The village was deserted and Paikea asked, “Kai whea anake te tangata? (Where are the people?)”. To which the woman replied, “Ē, kai Ngā-puke-tūrua, kai te whakatakoto i te kūmara mā tama (Why they are on the hill of Ngā-puke-tūrua preparing the kūmara for the prodigal son)”.
Paikea immediately knew that the prodigal son she spoke of was himself. With that, the young woman led Paikea to Ngā-puke-tūrua where her people had gathered awaiting his arrival. Thereupon Paikea performed the karakia (rituals) of the mārere kūmara (the first planting of kūmara) and thereafter lived amongst the people of Te Kautuku.
He also married the young woman he met at the lake, whose name was Huturangi, the daughter of Te Whironui and Araiara of the Nukutere waka (canoe), and the lake was called Roto-kautuku.
After a time, Paikea, together with Huturangi, shifted and settled in Whāngārā, while her parents, Te Whironui and Araiara, were settled nearby at Te Roto-o-Tahe near Puatai. From the union of Paikea and Huturangi was born Pouheni, who fathered Tarawhakatū, who had Nanaia, who had Porourangi — the eponymous ancestor of the Ngāti Porou tribe. So from the hill-tops of Te Kautuku to the sands of Whāngārā, a dynasty was born.
Nga Maunga Korero 