248 
TRADITIONS AND LEGENDS. 
frost and snow ; his tihe, or mat, was made of the monoa,* 
an epacris, as the snow settled upon it, he gave it a shake, 
and thence sprang up that shrub which now covers those 
inland plains. Suffering from the cold Nga toro i rangi 
shouted to his sisters on Wakarif to bring him fire, they 
heard his voice, and sent some of the sacred fire which 
they had brought with them from Hawaiki by their slaves, 
the taniwa Pupu, and Te Haeata ; J they went under ground 
all the way, and came out on the top of Tongariro. 
The fire reached Nga toro i rangi only just in time to save 
his life, but his slave was already dead, when they arrived 
with the fire it was too late, but in remembrance of him he 
called the orifice, out of which the flame arose, by his name, 
Nga uru hoe, the crater of Tongariro is thus called to this 
day, and the fire still burns all the way under ground from 
Wakari to Tongariro. 
The cause of his sisters coming from Hawaiki was the curse 
of Manaia when he had his hair cut ; on that sacred operation 
being performed much food was cooked for the assembled 
guests, it was prepared by his two wives Kuku and Hohata, 
the sisters of Nga toro i rangi, the food being under done, 
Manaia was greatly annoyed, he said to his wives, did the 
stones of Tuaikorora, which you used to heat your oven 
with cook your brother, that the food of my jourenga, hair 
cutting, was done so badly ? now this was a great curse, 
the women therefore wept for this insult to their brother 
Nga toro i rangi, that is all, they uttered their karakia, 
repeated their spells to counteract the curse, they fled, 
those wives of Manaia, they went in a canoe called the 
Rewarewa, or as another account states in the Huruhuru 
Manu. In another tradition it is said that the two sisters of 
Nga toro i rangi, Haungaroa and Kiwi, were gallantly car- 
ried from Hawaiki by two Gods, Rongomai and Iho o te 
* The monoa is said to be the parent of all trees, or the first formed, and if 
used as fuel to cook with, being a sacred tree, invariably causes rain. 
f This is a volcano in the Bay of Plenty, known as White Island, from the 
cloud of smoke which is always being emitted from its crater. 
t These names seem to have reference to the boiling springs. 
