278 
TRADITIONS AND LEGENDS. 
The Origin of the Owl. 
The wife and daughter of the bird of day, Te Manu i te 
ra, went one day to the beach to get pipis, cockles ; whilst 
the mother was thus employed, the daughter was looking 
about here and there, and espied a ladder which reached 
upwards far away out of sight, she began to climb up it, 
when she had ascended some distance her mother saw 
her, and cried out, Oh my daughter, come down, come 
down, but she paid no attention, still continued going up 
higher and higher, until at last she came to the top, and 
behold there was a village, she did not stop there, but 
still went on ; the people of the place saw her, and called 
out, as you go by RupeWs dwelling, do not laugh if you 
see him and his wife Rupetakoto, or they will kill you ; she 
made no reply, but walked on, and at last came to RupeWs 
house, she looked at them and laughed, for she could not 
help doing so, they were such odd-looking people ; this 
made them very angry, they ran out after her, caught her, 
and shut her up in a house. 
Night came and Te Manu o te ra’s daughter did not 
return home, so her brothers set off to seek her, they 
ascended the ladder, reached the village, and enquired of 
the inhabitants if they had seen their sister, they replied 
that they had, and that she had gone on to RupeWs place ; 
when they arrived there they enquired for her, but received 
no answer, and would not have discovered her had they not 
heard her singing in her prison, so they broke open the door 
and rescued their sister, being very angry they went to 
RupeWs place killed his wife, and him they turned into an 
owl. When you hear that bird of darkness calling out in 
the night, it is Rupetu calling for Rupetakoto, always call- 
ing, but never finding. 
The Story of the Karitehe. 
The Karawa have a tradition that formerly two caves 
called the Kauhoehoe, near Knuckle Point, Lawriston 
