CoLENSo. — Traditions of the Maoris. 43 



former homes, but away up on hills and mountains, and in cliffs, and in 

 inaccessible sides of streams. Those who did make a stand and dwelt at 

 Kaiora had a wretched life of it thiough constant dread. At last some of 

 them fled south to Wau-arapa, and even to Kaikoura (South Island), and 

 thus were widely dispersed the refugees from Pakaurangi. This battle was 

 known to our fathers by the name of " The death in the time of the wetted 

 garments ;" and this conquest was achieved by Kahukuranui. [This fight 

 took place, according to several genealogical lists, thirteen generations back. 

 — W.C.] 



2. The Story of the Chief Hauiti and his Two Elder Brothers. 

 The chief Hingangaroa had three sons; the first was Taua, the second was 

 Mahaki, and the third was Hauiti ; these all were grown up to manhood, 

 and dwelt at Uawa. They all agreed to turn their attention to the making 

 of large seine nets for themselves ; those three chiefs were to have three 

 nets, that is, one each ; each chief having also his own immediate followers. 

 Hauiti named his net Whakapaupakihi {lit. Taker of all [fish] in shallow 

 tidal waters, or, in the ebbing tide) ; he gave it this name because of its 

 immense size.* One day they all cast their nets into the sea, and had a 

 large catch of fish ; but Hauiti' s net contained a great deal more than the 

 others. Then his two elder brothers, with their followers, came and took 

 away forcibly (murti) the prime fishes out of his net ; and at every sub- 

 sequent casting of his net his two elder brothers and then- followers 

 would come and take away by force his best fish out of his net. Then 

 Hauiti began to think within himself, Whatever shaU I do to circumvent or 

 overcome my elder brothers ? Not perceiving any means of doing it, he 

 visited Tauranga, and went far inland to Makihoi, to see Marukakoa, a 

 priest, or cunning man, of note ; and to him he put this question, " How 



* It may be useful to quote here what Cook says about then- nets, — " We had plenty 

 of fish, most of which, however, we purchased of the natives, for we could catch very little 

 ourselves, either with net or line. When we showed the natives our seine, which is such 

 as the King's ships are generally furnished with, they laughed at it, and in triumph 

 produced their own, which was indeed of an enormous size, and made of a kind of grass 

 [Phonnium] which is very strong ; it was five fathom deep, and by the room it took up 

 could not be less than three or four hundi'ed fathom long. Fishing seems indeed to be the 

 chief business of life in this part of the country; we saw about all their towns a great 

 number of nets, laid in heaps like haycocks, and covered with a thatch to keep them from 

 the weather, and we scarcely entered a house where some of the people were not employed 

 in making them." Cook's Voyages, Vol. II. (first voyage), p. 369-70. The very large nets, 

 the heaps like haycocks, and the making in many houses, I have also seen, precisely as 

 described by Cook. Curiously enough Cook had anchored and stayed some time at that 

 very same place, Uawa, his Tolaga Bay. Cruise, and also Nicholas, 50 years after, relate 

 the same of their nets. 



