ORIGINAL CANOES. 
291 
13. Waka ringaringa . — Mawakeroa the chief ; Nga ti rua 
nui. It came to Kaupoko nui, Nga te ko. 
Toto was the name of the person who made the first canoe ; 
Mata o rua, and also the Aotea, out of one tree, which split 
in two parts when it fell, this was considered a remarkable 
circumstance, as formerly, having no iron tools, they had 
both to burn down the trees, and then hollow them with fire, 
and thus could only get one canoe out of a tree, however 
large it might be. 
The tuawhenua or main land was united to Hawaiki before 
Kupe came, he cut it in two, and made the sea between. 
When he first reached this tuawhenua, he found a people 
there called Kahui toka, the names of their chiefs were 
Kehu, Rehu, and Monoa, they had no food but fern-root 
before Kupe found them ; when they saw his canoe come 
they were dreadfully alarmed, Turi, on his arrival, killed 
them. Taki tumu and Orouta are different names for the 
same canoe ; according to some, Tutaranaki was the maker 
of Auraro tuia and Tane a rangi, they were also formed of 
a split tree, the former was Maufis canoe. These two appear 
to be distinct ones, the accounts from different parts of the 
island vary as to some of their names and the number. Alto- 
gether I have had seventeen thus given, but not by the same 
person. The Nga puhi speak of another canoe, Mamari, in 
which Nukutawiti came to seek for Tupu tupu whenua, who 
had sailed before, this name however appears to be a figura- 
tive one, relating to the land these Maori emigrants were in 
search of. 
When Kupe went back, he gave such a glowing account 
of the size, beauty, and productions of Aotea toa (for so he 
called New Zealand), that a fleet of six canoes was immedi- 
ately raised to go and take possession of it. Kupe is fairly 
entitled to be viewed as the New Zealand Columbus.* 
In another account, Taha tuna, Tairea, Rima rapu, Totara 
keria, are also mentioned. With all these little discrepencies, 
when the majority of the names are found to be well known 
* When this fleet arrived, they named the north island Aotea roa, and the 
great Barrier island Aotea iti. 
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