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 kiore (Whanuatu, Meranīhia)

I ngā moutere o Whanuatu, ka tau te whakaaro a ētahi manu moana kia hangaia he waka. Ka whiringia tētahi rākau kuru, ka tonoa ngā atua kia whakaaea ai te tua. Nō te takotoranga o te rākau, kīhai rawa i taea te neke. Na, ka tahuri kē ki tētahi taro nui, ā, ka whakahoua ki ō rātou ngutu. Ananā – he waka ātaahua! Me whai kaiwhakatere hoki rā. Haere mai ana he kiore ka kī atu, “Kāti. Ko ahau hei kaiwhakatere mo te waka nei!” Kāre i tino pai ki ngā manu – engari nō tana ngaungau haere i te waka, ka whakaaea.

He kaiwhakatere koretake te kiore, me āna tautohe hoki ki ngā manu. “Manu rorirori, kāre ō koutou ringaringa! He pai ake mōku kia kore āku kaihoe!” Ka whai ki te ngau i tētahi o ngā manu. Kātahi ka riri te kōtare ka werohia e tana ngutu te waka. Rere mai ana te wai, ka totohu haere te waka. Ka rere ngā manu ki te rangi, ka ngahoro te kiore ki te moana. Kāre he aha ki ngā manu. Me toromi ka tika!

Kāore te kiore i mōhio ki te kaukau. Ka haere mai he wheke, ka tonoa atu māna te kiore e kawe. Pā mamae ai te kiri o te wheke i ngā maikūkū o te kiore, he ahakoa, haria tonutia e ia. Nō te taunga ki uta, ka katakata te kiore, ka kī: “Tēnā koe e kawe nei i a ahau. Tēnā whakahokia tō kanohi anuanu ki tōna kāinga ki raro o te wai!” Inā te riri o te wheke, tangohia ake ana he rākau hei patu kaha rawa i te kiore nei. Mau ai tētahi pito ki tōna tuarā. Whiua atu ana e te kiore he pungarehu ki runga i te wheke. Koinei te take he whiore roa tō te kiore, he kōiraira pango tō te panepane o te wheke.