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No. 47 (June 1964)
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The Story of Te Huhuti

Now this woman, Te Huhuti, was just like Hinemoa. As Hinemoa swam Lake Rotorua, so Te Huhuti swam Lake Roto-a-Tara. She belonged to the Ngati Kahungunu tribe and from her Te Hapuku is descended. The reason why she swam the lake is that she had fallen in love with Te Whatuiapiti, attracted by his handsome appearance.

She did not stop to consider the difficulty or the danger. No; all she thought was, ‘Although the lake is wide and deep, what does it matter? Only let me try it and if I should sink, never mind, but if I should succeed, all the better.’ (Now, my friend, just realize what this young girl had in her mind. She had no hesitation because for a long time she had longed to see this handsome young man—the darling of her heart.)

And so she swam and reached Te Whatuiapiti's home. As she was swimming she was seen by his mother and the old lady was greatly surprised. Then she looked at Te Huhuti as she stepped out of the water on to the shore. What a lovely skin, gleaming like a white cliff! The girl slowly approached the old woman, who could now see how lovely she was, like a sunbeam lingering in the western sky.

As she came nearer the old woman said to Te Huhuti, ‘You look lovelier than ever, like the rocky cliffs or like a ray of the setting sun.’ The maiden kept silent. Then the old woman said, ‘My dear, where are you gong?’ And still there was no reply. Again the question was asked, and again without success. Then the old woman cried out, ‘What non-sense! Why do you not answer me?’ Then the maiden opened her lips and said to the old woman, ‘Where is the house of Te Whatuiapiti?’ The old woman said, ‘This is where we live, come along with me’. She took the girl by the hand and they went on to Te Whatuiapiti's house. He heard them coming and at once arose. He looked at her and greeted her warmly, as might be expected. He was glad at seeing the delight of his heart, and the maiden—well, she was happy at having reached Te Whatuiapiti with whom she had long been deeply in love.

And so they were married, and here are their descendants, and right up to the present time they keep in memory the feat of their

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ancestress Te Huhuti in swimming Lake Roto-a-Tara, and we celebrate it in song—‘Te Huhuti swam hither’, etc.

You see that her descendants do not forget the part played by their ancestress. Te Huhuti was drawn to Te Whatuiapiti because of his personal attraction, but there were two other advantages possessed by him—one we might personify as Tahu and the other as Tu. Hence her reason for undertaking the journey across the lake, as she thought that by marrying Te Whatuiapiti she would share in these two, Tahu (the husband) for the harmony of peaceful days, and Tu (the warrior) for the bold face needed outside the home. Hence she was so keen to acquire Te Whatuiapiti as her husband.

This translation, written by the late Mr W. W. Bird, appears in the edition of Sir George Grey's ‘Polynesian Mythology’ edited by Mr Bird and published by Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd in 1956. ‘Te Ao Hou’ is grateful to the publishers for permission to publish the story here.

The Maori text given below is from Sir George Grey's ‘Nga Mahi a Nga Tupuna’, published in 1854.

Ko Te Korero Mo Te Huhuti

Na, ko tenei wahine, ko Te Huhuti, i pera tahi ano ia me Hinemoa. Ko Hinemoa, nana i kau te roto o Rotorua. Na, ko Te Huhuti, nana i kautahoe te roto o te Roto-a-Tara. No Ngati Kahungunu tenei wahine, a te Huhuti, te tupuna wahine o Te Hapuku; te tikanga i kautahoetia ai e ia te roto o te Roto-a-Tara, he kawenga na te humariretanga o Te Whatuiapiti, no konei i kautahoetia ai e ia taua moana; no reira kihai ia i tawhitawhi kia whakaaroaro ranei, kia aha ranei; kao, ko tona whakaaro i penei na, ‘Ahakoa nui te moana, me aha? Engari me whakamatau—a, mana ka totohu, he aha koa; a, mana e u, e pai ana.’

(Na, titiro ra, e hoa ma, ki te whakaaro o tenei wahine, kihai hoki i tawhitawhi tona whakaaro, no te mea kua whakaarorangi noa ake tona ngakau ki te ataahuatanga o Te Whatuiapiti, te kuku o tona manawa.)

Na, ka kau ia, a, ka u ki te kainga o Te Whatuiapiti; e u kau atu ana ano ia, inamata kua kitea ia e te whaea o Te Whatuiapiti. Na, oho whakarere taua ruruhi; katahi ia ka titiro atu ki a Te Huhuti; ano te kiri! me he pari tea ko te turanga mai ki uta o te wai. Ka haere atu ki te kuia ra; te ahunga atu, heoi ra ka titiro atu te ruruhi ra ki te ataahua mai o te wahine raka. Anana! me he haeata e toea ana i te taha a rangi, koia ia ko te rite o tuawahine.

A no ka whakatata mai ki te kuia raka, ka whakatauki atu taua ruruhi ra ki a Te Huhuiti, ‘E! e! E tia tonu tou humarire, me nga pari teko nei! Ae, me he haeata e toea ana i te taha a rangi ko tou pai.’

Kihai hoki i hamumu a tuawahine.

Katahi ka ui atu te kuia raka ki a ia, ‘E hika, ko hea koe?’

Otira ko tuawahine kihai hoki i hamumu.

Me i reira ka ui atu ano te ruruhi ra ki a ia; kihai rawa ia i ki atu ki a ia.

I reira te waha o te kuia raka ki te ki atu ki a ia, ‘Taikiri! taikiri! Kaore rawa nei koe e ki mai ki ahau?’

I reira tata katahi ra ano ka hamumu atu te mangai o tuawahine ki te kuia raka, ka mea atu ia, ‘Kei whea koia te kainga o Te Whatuiapiti?’

Ka mea atu te kuia raka, ‘Tenei ra to maua nei kainga, haere mai taua ki reira.’

Ka mau te kuia raka ki tona ringa, ka haere raua, a ka tae ki te whare o Te Whatuiapiti; ka rongo te rangata ra, inamata kua maranga ki runga, kua titiro atu ki te wahine ra, ka mihi atu ia ki te wahine ra: me pehea hoki koa ua ana? Ka koa ra, ka kite atu hoki i te whakahiangongo a tona ngakau: me tuawahine hoki ka koa, ka tae atu ia ki a Te Whatuiapiti — te kaitokomauri o tona puku. Ehara, moe ana raua nei, a, tupu noa o raua nei uri; a, moroki noa nei, mahara tonu ratou ki nga whanonga a to ratou tupuna wahine, a Te Huhuti, i tana kauanga i te moana o te Roto-a-Tara; no reira te kupu o tenei waiata.

‘Na Te Huhuti nau i kau mai, ko Hineteko i te Roto-a-Tara, a, ea ake ana, ko Hinehore, ko koe.’

Titiro, e kore e wareware i ona uri nga ritenga pai a to ratou nei tupuna. Na, ko te tikanga o Te Huhuti i pai ai ki a Te Whatuiapiti, he pai no Te Whatuiapiti; otira ko nga painga o Te Whatuiapiti e rua; ko tetahi painga ona ko Tahu, ko tetahi ko Tu. Koia tera te tikanga i pai ai ia, kia moe ia i a Te Whatuiapiti, no reira te tikanga i kauhoetia ai e ia te roto o Te Roto-a-Tara, i whakaaro ia kia moe ia i a Te Whatuiapitu hei tane pai mana, kia rua ai nga painga ki a ia, ko Tahu, ko Tu, no te mea ko Tahu mo te rangi marire, ko Tu mo te mata whaura, mo nga ritenga o waho, ko te mea ia i tino hokaka ai ia kia haere ia ki a Te Whatuiapiti hei hoa mona.

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