Ko ngā Reo o te Whakahokinga

I whakaatu atu te anahera a Moronai i ngā papa kōura ki a Hōhepa Mete, Ōriwa Kautere, Rāwiri Witimā rātou ko Mātini Hārihi i roto i te ngahere e pātata atu ana ki te kāinga o ngā Witimā i Wheiete, Niu Ioka. I peka atu ngā mātua o Hōhepa ki te kāinga o ngā Witimā i taua wā. I whakamārama mai a Ruihi Maki Mete, te whaea o Hōhepa, i te pānga nui o tēnei tūāhuatanga ki ngā kaiwhakaatu:

“I waenganui i te toru me te whā karaka. I te noho tahi mātou ko Whaea Witimā, ko Matua. Mete i tētahi ruma moe. I te noho au i runga i tētahi moenga. I te wā i kuhu mai ai a Hōhepa, ka makere iho ia i tōku taha. ‘Matua! Whaea!’ tana kī. ‘Kāore kōrua e mōhio ana ki te nui o tōku koa. Kua meatia e te Ariki kia huraina atu ngā papa ki tētahi atu tokotoru hāunga ahau, kua kitea anōtia tētahi anahera, ā, me whakaatu atu rātou e pā ana ki te pono o tā rātou i kite ai. Nā te mea e mōhio ana rātou mō rātou ake anō, nā, kāore au mō te hāereere noa ki te tinihanga i te tangata. Ā, kei te rongo tōku ngākau me te mea nei kua tangohia atu tētahi pīkaunga kino, he mea tē taea te pīkau. Engari mā rātou tētahi wāhi e pīkau ināianei, ā, e hari ana tōku ngākau kāore ko au anake me tōku kotahi i tēnei ao.’ Kātahi ka kuhu mai a Mātini Hārihi. Ko te āhua nei kua warea ia ki te koa. Kātahi ia ka whakaatu mai mō tāna i kite ai, i rongo ai hoki, ka pērā anō ērā atu, arā, a Ōriwa rāua ko Rāwiri. He rite tā rātou ki te mea kei roto nei i te Pukapuka a Moromona. …

“Kāore i taea e Mātini Hārihi ki te whakakōrero i ana kare ā-roto. Ko tāna, ‘Kua kite nei au i tētahi anahera mai i te Rangi kua tino whakaaturia mai e pā ana ki te pono o ngā mea katoa kua rangona e au e pā ana ki te tuhinga, ā, kua kitea ia e ōku karu. Kua titiro atu hoki au ki runga i ngā papa, ā, kua pā atu ōku ringaringa, ā, e whakaaturia ana taua mea ki te ao katoa. Engari whiwhi nei mōku ake anō tētahi whakaaturanga e kore nei e taea e te kupu te whakapuaki, e te arero te whakamārama, ā, e manaaki nei au i te Atua i runga i te pono o tōku wairua i te mea kua whakaiti iho ia e meatia ai ahau, ko au pū anō, hei kaiwhakaatu mō te nui o ana mahi me ana rautaki [mō] ngā tamariki a te tangata.’ I hono tahi atu anō a Ōriwa rāua ko Rāwiri ki a ia i runga i te kupu whakawhetai ki te Atua mō tōna pai me tōna aroha. I hoki mātou ki te kāinga [ki Pāmaira, Niu Ioka,] i te rā whai muri iho, he tira whakamoemiti iti.”

I reira hoki a Ruihi Maki Mete i te hokinga mai a ngā Kaiwhakaatu Tokowaru:

“Whai muri iho i te hokinga mai o ēnei kaiwhakaatu ki te kāinga, ka puta mai anō te anahera ki a Hōhepa; i taua wā tukuna atu e Hōhepa ngā papa ki roto ki ōna ringaringa. I whakatū mātou i tētahi hui i taua ahiahi pō rā, i konā whakaatu mai ngā kaiwhakaatu katoa kia hāngai pū ki ngā kōrero kua kōrerohia ake nei; kātahi tō mātou whānau katoa, tae atu pū anō ki a Tana Kārohi [Mete], kua tata 14 tau te pakeke, ka whakaatu mai e pā ana ki te pono o te takiwā o ngā rā o muri nei—nā, kua tino tae mai.”

Hei āpiti atu ki ngā Kaiwhakaatu Tokotoru mā ngā Kaiwhakaatu Tokowaru, i manaakitia a Mere Witimā, te whaea o Rāwiri Witimā, hei kaiwhakaatu anō mō ngā papa kōura. I huraina atu ērā mea ki a ia e te anahera Moronai hei whakamānawa i āna whakaherenga i meatia ai e ia i a Hōhepa rātou ko Ema, ko Ōriwa e noho ana i tōna kāinga. “Kua tino ū pono koe i roto i āu mahi,” tā Moronai ki a ia. “Nō reira, e tika ana, kia whiwhi whakaaturanga koe e whakakahangia ai tō whakapono.”