He tuatahi te hokinga atu o tētahi o ngā kainoho o Waiohiki, i Ahuriri ki tōna kāinga, kotahi tau i muri i te Huripari Kaperieri.
Kua kotahi tau a Hīria Tūmoana nō Ngāi Tūhoe e noho tawhiti atu ana i tōna kāinga, nā ngā pānga kino o te huripari ki tōna hapori.
I hoki ōna whakaaro ki te ūnga atu o te huripari ki a ia i te kotahi tau ki muri nei, ā, ahakoa ngā karawhiunga o taua wā, i mauri tau ai tāna noho i te pō.
“Kāre au i mataku, engari kāre anō te wai kia uru mai ki roto ki taku whare, engari hōhonu tonu te āhua o taku titiro ki waho me te kaha o te rere o te ia o te wai,”
Pō noa atu, he kōrero anō. I te waru karaka, ko ōna hoa noho tata i whakarere ake i ō rātau whare, ā, ko Tūmoana anahe i noho tonu ki tōna kāinga. Hai tāna, ko tētahi o ngā hoa noho tata, he tuahangata i taua pō, i tana hokinga atu ‘ki te tiki kākahu maroke mōna.’
“Ka kite mai i taku kānara, taku punua kānara e kā ana. Ka hāparangi mai ‘he mea kai te kāinga?’ Āe, anei ahau, huakina atu au i taku matapihi, kua āhua hiki hoki te wai.”
Ehara tēnei i te āhuatanga hou
He uri a Tūmoana nō te whārua o Ruatoki, ā, kua waia ia ki ngā āhuatanga o te waipuke me te huarere kino.
“Kāre noa au i māharahara i te mea, mātau i a au e tamariki ana i Ruatoki, he maha ngā wā ka waipukehia mātau. Kua riro hoki te piriti, ā, paku noa iho nei te papa hai whakawhiti atu ki tērā taha o te rori ki te hopu i te pahi kia pai ai te haere ki te kura.”
Kua kotahi tau a Tūmoana e noho tawhiti atu ana i tōna kāinga i Waiohiki, ā, ko Waipatu Marae ki Heretaunga tōna āhuru mōwai, kua huri hai kāinga rua.
Hai tāna ko te noho tahi, tētahi āhuatanga e kore e wareware i a ia.
“Āhua rua wiki tonu mātau e tirotiro ana ki a mātau i te mea kua tae te wā ki te hoki ki ō mātau kāinga, āhua tō haere mātau i ō mātau waewae, kua āhua whakatenetene ki te hoki mai ki te kāinga.”
‘Me kaha te iwi Māori.’
Nā i runga anō i ngā tūāhuatanga o te wā, he hua i puta ake i te huripari, nā ko te tūtira mai a te iwi.
“He aha tātau i tatari ai kia pēnei rā anō, kātahi anō tātau ka aro ki a tātau, ka rata ki a tātau anō. Ko tāku, me kaha tātau, tēnei mea te whakapono a te Māori, koirā pea tētahi o ngā mea e kite ana ahau kai te ngaro haere i a tāua te Māori,”
He kaiako hoki a Tūmoana i Te Ūranga Waka, ki Te Aho a Māui i Ōtātara, ā, ko ana karaehe hoki, ka tū tata atu ki a ia, ahakoa noho atu ai ia ki hea.
“I reira aku karaehe... Nā māhorahora tō rātau noho i te marae. Nā, ka kī atu au ki a rātau ‘Me hoki tātau ki te kura? Ohh kāo Whaea, me noho mai tātau ki konei. Ka pai, koia kei a koutou.’ Engari pai ana, mauri tau tā rātau noho i reira.”