156 
MYTHOLOGY. 
her mistress, exclaiming, Kurangai tuku, Kurangai tnku 
— e — ka riro a tana hanga ! riro, riro, riro ! Our property is 
escaped, it is gone, gone, gone ! Hence has this little bird 
derived its name, riro-riro. She at once returned, and 
Kumea Warona stretching out her legs and dragging them 
onward, was soon at home, snuffing up the wind, she 
quickly found the direction he had taken, and immediately 
set off in pursuit, soon came in sight, and nearly reached 
him, whilst he was approaching a steep cliff. Now Hatu- 
patu was the youngest son of his mother, and to make 
up for such a great disadvantage, his kind and considerate 
grandmother bestowed a very powerful charm upon him 
— he had not a minute to spare — he therefore immediately 
put it to the test, and pronounced the potent spell, ma- 
titi, mat at a, open and cleave asunder. The words were no 
sooner uttered, than the rock obeyed; it at once opened 
and received him within, then closed up again. Kura- 
ngai-tuku immediately afterwards reached the spot, and 
was strangely puzzled to find out what had become of 
Hatupatu, she began scratching about with her long nails 
on the rock, exclaiming, Ina ano koe, e Hana, Where 
have you got to, 0 Hana, which was short for his name; 
if you ever go from Rotorua to Tarawera, and ask your 
guide, he will show you the marks of her scratches, which 
still remain on the face of the rock, several inches deep. 
When Hatupatu thought she had gone away, he came 
out again at some distance from the spot he entered. But 
she was too sharp-sighted to miss him ; again was she in 
full chase, and striding along would have overtaken him, 
but perceiving his danger, he again uttered the power- 
ful words, matitij matata ; the earth, obedient to the spell, 
opened at once and received him ; puzzled at his strange 
disappearance, she scratched about and cried, Ina ano 
koe e Hana ? Are you here, Hana ? After some time, he 
once more ventured from his hiding place, but she soon 
caught sight of him, and pursued : he cried out to a tuft 
of toe toe, matiti matata, or, as another account states, 
tatenga tatanga ; it immediately lifted up itself, and he 
