Te Mahi a Te Kaiwhakatere Waka

Ua fili e le tai se agavaa … whakamātauria ai e te moana te mana o te tangata haere moana.
Whakataukī Hāmoa

I ngā hapori o Poronīhia, he whakawehi nui tō ngā kaiwhakatere – kāre noa iho mo ngā pukenga, engari mo te mātau hoki. Me matua mōhio te kaiwhakatere i ngā kōrero maha mo te taiao. He hōnore nui tō te whiwhi mātauranga whakatere, ā, ko tā te kaiwhakatere he mahi, he tiaki, he tuku i aua mātauranga kia pai ai mo te hapori. Me hōhonu hoki ōna tikanga noho – me hūmārie, me whakawehi, me manawanui. Koia te matua o ngā kaihoe, māna hoki rātou e tiaki i te kino. He kaiārahi whakaaronui ki a rātou, i runga, i waho hoki o te waka.

Ka ngaro atu ana te kaiwhakatere me āna tāngata i te hapori, ka waiata kia tiakina rātou, kia whakatata hoki ki a rātou.

te kaiwhakatere whakaaronui (Iapi, Maikaranīhia)

Ka whakaakona a Rongolap me Rongoschig e tō rāua matua ki te mahi whakatere. I tētahi rā, ka tono a Rongolap (te tuakana) kia haere ia ki tētahi atu moutere. Whakaaengia ana e te matua me āna kupu tohutohu: “Ka wehe atu koe, ka kite koe he kuia i te ākau. Me tū me whāngai. Ka ara ake ngā toka e whā. Me noho ō tāngata i te tuatahi, me tū i te tuarua, ka unuhia ngā pōtae i te tuatoru, ka whakamau anō i te tuawhā.”

Whiriwhiringia ai e Rongolap he hunga rangatahi hei tāngata māna. Nāwai ka haere ana ka kitea te kuia nei i te ākau. Kāre kē i tū! I ngā toka, hurirapa katoa ngā tohutohu. Nāwai, ka tau ki tētahi moutere. He kēhua kē te iwi o reira. Ka tono mā rātou te waka e horoi. Ka haria e rātou a Rongolap me āna tāngata ki ngā hōpua e rua – tētahi he paru, tētahi he mā. Kaukau ana ngā tāngata nei ki te hōpua mā, nāwai ka moe. I a rātou e moe ana, ka kainga katoatia e ngā kēhua!

Nō te kore hoki mai o Rongolap, ka tau a Rongoschig kia whai i a ia. Kāre ia i pēnei i a Rongolap, ko tā Rongoschig he whiriwhiri hunga pakeke hei tāngata māna, ā, ka whāia hoki ngā tohutohu a tana matua. Nō te tau ki te moutere, kāre i whakaaengia kia horoi ngā kēhua i tana waka. Ka kaukau hoki āna tāngata ki te hōpua paruparu, ā, pā kaha mai. Whanga atu ana ngā kēhua kia moe te iwi tauhou nei, pō noa e ara tonu ana …. ao ake, ka hoki ora mai a Rongoschig me āna tāngata ki te kāinga.