300 
WAKATAUKI, OR PROVERBS. 
Where were you when the riroriro first sung ? — The riroriro is 
a small bird whose note is heard in the spring, and is one of 
the signs of approaching summer. This saying is applied 
to a person who is too idle to plant food at the proper 
season, and complains of hunger in the winter. 
67. Haere ki Patiarero. 
Go to Patiarero. — A Wanganui saying, Go, that they may eat 
you. This is said when any one is bent upon running into 
danger. 
68. He kokonga ware e taea te rapurapu ; he kokonga ngakau ekore 
e taea. 
We can thoroughly search every corner of a house ; but those 
of the heart we cannot. 
69. He kai koutou ka hohoro, ko te ngaki ekore. 
You are forward to eat, but not to work. 
70. Te wai Toki i te rangi. 
Cook’s water from heaven. — This was the name given by the 
natives to rum, when Captain Cook first gave it to them. 
It is now used for anything sweet. 
71. Kia wakaara koe i taku moe, ko te watu turei a Rua. 
When you disturb my rest, let it be for the Hinau bread of 
Rua. — Rua was one of the first persons who arrived in New 
Zealand, and commenced making bread from the Hinau 
(Elceocctrpus Hinau), which has therefore been named after 
him. It is so highly prized by the natives, that "'they say it 
is the only food for which a wearied man should be waked 
out of his sleep. 
72. He pata ua ki runga, he ngutu tangata ki raro. 
A continual dropping of rain from above, and chattering of 
men’s lips below. — This is applied to a man who is beset 
on all sides with annoyances, and can find no way of 
escape. 
78. E kore e kitea te tui i nga toke i te pouri. 
You cannot see how to thread worms in the dark. — This is said 
when it is time to leave off work, and refers to the custom 
of threading worms on a string, as a bait for eels. 
74. Tena te ringa tango parahia. 
That is a hand which roots out the parahia. — This saying is 
applied to a diligent husbandman. The parahia is a dimi- 
nutive kind of spinach, which overruns their cultivations, 
and if not eradicated kills everything. 
