* 
. Sticks to ward off the fish from the rocks. 
459 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
she was able to fasten his hair, the flax being so strong. Hence the 
proverb, “ Putiki-wharanu a Kahungunu a Tamatea i Mahue atu i Tauranga.” 
(The flax-binding of Kahungunu, a Tamatea left behind at Tauranga. 
Wharanui is a variety of Phormium tenas.) 
Kahungunu then left his wife and journeyed on to Nukutauroa (Table 
Cape), to Tawapata (near Portland Island) where Rongomaiwahine was 
living with her mother, Rapa, who had repeated the proverb regarding him. 
Rongomaiwahine was with her husband, Tamatakutai, the chief of the 
place, who occupied most of his time in carving. Kahungunu stayed and 
watched the manners of the people, their food was paua (Haliotis) and pupu 
(limpets). 
At night Kahungunu commenced his jokes, for the purpose of causing a 
quarrel between Rongomaiwahine and her husband. Shortly after this 
Kahungunu proposed to the others that they should all go and dig fern- 
roots, to which they agreed. When a great quantity had been obtained, 
the friends suggested they should tie it up-and carry it home, to which he 
objected and sent them away. So soon as they were out of sight, he 
collected it all together and carried it himself. When his friends looked 
back, they beheld him bringing the fernroot on his shoulder. On his arrival 
at the precipice named Tawapata, just above the village, he let down the 
fernroot and undid the fastenings, so that it fell scattered into the village. 
It was such a large mass that the place was filled even to all the enclosures 
round the houses. All the men, women, and children collected and pre- 
pared it for food by the fire, at the same time praising Kahungunu, saying, 
"Now we have got a strong and able man, who can work and collect 
food,” 
The children of Maringaringamai were at the fishing grounds, so Ka- 
hungunu proposed to his friends to collect paua. He sent the men to 
collect flax and to make paua baskets and nets, and ropes, also to prepare 
He then ascended a hill whence 
he watched the kawaw—shags—(Graculus varius) diving for fish, and 
then tried if he could hold his breath as long as they could. His way of 
trying was thus :— When the kawau dived, he commenced to count thus : 
ups tahi, pipi rua, and so on up to ten (tuangahuru); then commenced 
again at pepe tahi, etc. This he did without drawing breath while the 
kawau dived three times; he therefore thought he could remain some 
length of time under the water, so he took the net at ebb tide and entered 
the water and swam to the first rock, then to the second, and so on to the 
fourth, and passed the rocks where people usually swam to, for only a canoe 
could go so far. He then dived and set to work filling his nets and kits. 
He pressed the pauas together and filled to bursting all his kits, He then 
