As I explore the legends and myths of the New Zealand Maori people one story seems to connect to the next. When Mary was doing her post on the 1958 Anniversaries she came across the stamps issued for the Hawke's Bay Centennial. Among these was a stamp showing the statue Pania of the Reef which led me to do a post telling this story. In the comments below that post, the story of Hinemoa was mentioned.
Recently I added the love-story of Hinemoa to my growing collection of posts on Maori stories. While researching this story I discovered Hinemoa swum to the Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua. This led me to discover another story connected to this island, Hatupatu and Kurangaituku - The Bird Woman, the subject of this post.
Kurangaituku - 80c
The giant bird-women who stalked prey in the forest, standing tall as a tree
and spearing birds and lizards with her fingernails.
The Story of Hatupatu and the Birdwoman (Kurangaituku).
There are many stories of Hatupatu and his adventures. The most well-known of which is the story of Hatupatu and the Birdwoman (Kurangaituku).
Although the majority of this story did not take place on Mokoia Island, this is where Hatupatu lived with his parents and three older brothers.
This story begins with Hatupatu wondering through the forest after being brought back to life by Tamumu ki te rangi, he that buzzes in the sky (how this came to be is another story).
Kurangaituku (the Birdwoman) was as big as a tree and her fingernails were so long she used them as spears. As she was out hunting for food she spied a pigeon sitting in a tree. As she speared the pigeon with her fingernails Hatupatu, who was on the other side of the tree, speared the same pigeon.
Upon seeing Hatupatu, Kurangaituku decided to capture him alive and keep him as a mokai (pet) for she had never seen a male human before.
Kurangaituku treated Hatupatu very well bringing him all the food that he could eat and keeping him in the place of honour amongst her large collection of pets.
Unfortunately, being a birdwoman, Kurangaituku did not cook her food so that Hatupatu had to wait until she was gone so that he could cook it.
While Kurangaituku was out Hatupatu had plenty of time to explore her home and instantly fell in love with all of her possessions deciding that he wanted to keep them for himself. So that is exactly what he did.
One day while Kurangaituku was out Hatupatu took down all of the fine possesions that he wanted including a beautiful kura (feather cloak), topuni (cold weather cloak), taiaha and korowai (flax cloak). After doing this Hatupatu blocked all of the entrances to the house so that none of Kurangaituku's other pets could leave to warn her. He then left the house and made his way towards his home on Mokoia Island.
Unfortunately Hatupatu had overlooked one small hole which a liitle Riroriro (grey warbler bird) managed to squeeze through and make her way to warn Kurangaituku of Hatupatu’s treachery.
As soon as Kurangaituku found out what Hatupatu had done she set off to find him. Being as tall as a tree she could cover the distance much faster than Hatupatu's small feet could carry him and soon caught up.
Seeing her coming Hatupatu ran up to a rock and chanted an old spell that his grandmother had taught him, 'Te kowhatu nei, e, matiti, matata' You rock there!, split open, crack open. And as it did so Hatupatu quickly ran inside and the rock closed up behind him.
When Kurangaituku reached the rock there was no sign of Hatupatu which confused her so she decided to hide and see what happened. Believing that she was gone Hatupatu emerged from the rock only to find Kurangaituku waiting for him so once again he called his chant to the rock and hid back inside. This went on for many hours until Hatupatu used his chant on a clump of Toetoe and traveled underground finally emerging near a Ngawhariki (boiling hot pool).
He was immediately spotted by Kurangaituku who started chasing him again. As soon as Hatupatu saw her coming he ran straight for the Ngawhariki which had a thin crust of earth over it, which he knew about as this place was close to his home. When he reached the Ngawhariki Hatupatu leapt over it with Kurangaituku close behind. Instead of leaping over the Ngawhariki however, Kurangaituku stepped right into the middle of the soft earth and fell straight in where she was boiled alive. These hot pools can still be seen today and is the area known as Whakarewarewa.
Hatupatu rested for a while before diving into Lake Rotorua and swimming for his home on Mokoia Island.
The two views above. Pohutu Geyser and the boiling mud pool below are views from Whakarewarewa Thermal Area in Rotorua.
1993 Scenic Thermal Wonders.
The hot geyser flats of Whakarewarewa.
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
