TRADITIONS AND LEGENDS. 
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his fear of the red ochre, he went from one side to the 
other, seeking a way by which he might enter the house, 
but could not find one, the only thing he could do was to 
fell a tree, so that it should touch the ridge pole, by it 
he climbed up, but when he got upon it still there was no 
entrance for him into the house ; this was all, he sung his 
song, and said : — The heaven cannot be pressed down from 
above, the rope of New Zealand which I had stretched out is 
brought very near ; the love for Pirongia still remains ; the 
divided race split into two parts, (Mount) Tiki and (Mount) 
Nukupore ; will the union of the two be sacred ? Ripiroaite 
will push me away, the (Rangi pouri) gloomy sky. 
This story is evidently a very recent one, and it appears to 
have been composed during this struggle of the two races. 
The Patupaiarehe is a kind of semi- spiritual being, supposed 
to reside in lonely places, they are thought to be white, 
and therefore an apt representation of the European ; the 
woman represents New Zealand, and her husband the Maori 
race ; the instruction given by the spirit appears to be to 
return to their old heathen customs ; the Kokowai being the 
emblem of the tapu, against which all the skill of the Pakeha 
is vain ; Ripiroaite may represent their great champion. 
Mahina. 
The Kura , red ochre, was brought from Hawaiki in the 
Arawa ; when they approached the land they saw the Pohu- 
tukawa and Rata in full bloom, their brilliant red blossoms 
were taken for kura, and they cried out, what was the good 
of our bringing kura here where it is so abundant ? they 
threw it overboard, but when they landed they found out 
their mistake, and vainly regretted their loss. Mahina, 
however, was walking along the beach, and picked up the 
kura which had drifted ashore ; when this was known the 
owner asked him to give it back, but he refused, and said, 
what is drifted ashore is the property of the finder, hence 
the proverb for anything lost, which has been picked up by 
