Best. — Maori Forest Lort . 215 



Another form of the above saying is, " E kore au e haere, he 

 kokomuka tu tara ivhare." "He koromiko te rakau i tunua ai 

 te moa " (The koromiko is the wood with which the moa was 

 cooked) is another saying applied to this tree. A tribe of the 

 original Polynesian people of the Bay of Plenty district was 

 named Te Tini o te Kokomnka-tu-tara-whare. 



The fragrant moss called kopuru was used as a scent in 

 former times by the belles and beaux of the Children of the 

 Mist. The kopuru is sometimes a tohu mate, or token of coming 

 misfortune. If a number of persons are near it and its fragrance 

 is detected by only one of such persons, then some trouble will 

 soon follow. Probably a person of importance will die ere long. 



The red - flowered Loranthus known as pirinoa is termed 

 korukoru when in flower, or the flower is so styled. It grows as 

 a parasite on the tawai trees around Wai-kare Moana. Mr. Field 

 gives rorerore as the Native name of a red-flowering Loranthus 

 in the Taupo district, while Mr. J. B. Lee obtained the Native 

 name of amaru for a similar plant. 



The kotara is a tree only found on the high range at Maunga- 

 pohatu in this district. It has a serrated leaf, hence its Native 

 name. In former times its fragrant leaves were employed by 

 Natives as an agent wherewith to import a desired scent to 

 toilet-oils, neck-sachets, &c, hence young specimens were some- 

 times transplanted into the village cultivation-grounds. 



The kotukutuku, or Fuchsia, is a very common tree on the 

 high-lying lands of the Tuhoe district, but not so very numerous 

 in the lower parts of the main valleys. This tree was of no 

 great economic value to the Natives. The fruit is eaten by 

 children, and also furnishes a food for birds. The edible berries 

 of this tree are called hona by the Tuhoe Natives. The flowers 

 are termed takawa. The kotukutuku and houhi-ongaonga (or 

 houhi puruhi) are the principal deciduous trees of Tuhoeland. 

 The ongaonga (Urtica ferox) and tapia (Tupeia antarctica) are 

 also here deciduous, and the kowhai is often very nearly so, 

 retaining scarcely any leaves in winter. 



The kowhai does not obtain to any great extent in the Tuhoe 

 district. The bark is used by the Natives in the form of an 

 infusion as a medicine for internal pains. The flowering of this 

 tree is said to mark the last frost of the season, which is known 

 as the kowhai frost. In some parts the kowhai flood or rains 

 is also upheld as inevitable. The plant Geum urbanum is also 

 termed kowhai. 



The kukuraho is a swamp-plant having hard black knobs on 

 its roots, which are known as the raho of Tuna.* This Tuna is 



* These roots were eaten formerly, the outside part peeled off first. 



