BY: NICOLE N. COLOMA ROOM 8

MR. WEBB

THIS ONE IS THE PICTURE OF THE WAIKATO RIVER.

THE MYTH AND THE FOLKLORE OF THE WAIKATO RIVER.

A Charm of the Waikato River is the wealth of legend and romance along that grand waterway, the noblest of all New Zealand rivers. From Lake Taupo all the way down to the sea, every mile of its winding course has its folk-story and its song, and its lower waters have the records of the Maori War to sanctify them. This tradition concerns the beautiful valley of Orakei-korako and neighbourhood, where the river plunges through the rocky passes and roars in flying foam over its innumerable falls and rapid runs and round its little wooded islands.

A few miles below the old Maori village of Orakei-korako, on the riverside road that leads southward from Atiamuri, are the Haere-huka Rapids, where the river is broken by a wild fall, just below a green and lovely islet clothed to the water’s edge with foliage.

`Below the furious foam of the rapids again are other fairy isles, dripping everywhere with moisture; the spray of the cataract. Huge hills rise on either side of the river, wooded of base, scarred of side, with rounded shoulders, rearing here and there Titanic masses of grey volcanic rock, like swags on the backs of mountain giants. Down there, near the proper left bank of the river—the side on which our road goes—there is a great black rock, rounded by centuries of water-rush, protruding its glistening head.

The strong river surges round it ceaselessly—spray bathes it ever, and sometimes the angry little waves completely hide it from sight. But it always emerges, the embodiment of eternal stability, in that turmoil of mad waters. This is the rock which gives its name to the rapid. Haere-huka, the olden Maori called it, the rock of “Moving Foam,” or “Flying Foam

THE MYTH AND THE FOLKLORE OF THE WAIKATO RIVER (CONTINUATION.)

THE LAST PART OF THE MYTH AND FOLKLORE OF THE WAIKATO RIVER.

One of the dancers in the Arawa haka and poi to amuse the visitors was the beautiful wife of Taua, chief of the Ngati-Tunohopu branch of Ngati-Whakaue. She excelled all the women in the grace and dexterity of her movements. Amongst the guests was a young chief of Taupo named Harakeke, who was smitten with the charms of the lady. During the stay of the party at Rotorua, Harakeke secretly made love to Taua’s wife to such purpose that when the guests were ready page 140 to return she consented to abandon her husband and fly with the Taupo chief.Taua endeavoured to arouse the Arawa tribe to take up his cause and punish the Taupo people for the abduction of his wife. But they refused, partly because they were afraid of the great chief Te Heuheu, of Taupo, and also because of their relationship to his tribe. Despairing of success, Taua composed and sang the following song, which in the end had the effect of rousing the Arawa to a sense of the injury to their fellow-clansman and the insult to the tribe:

THE WAIKATO CLEAN UP IM GONNA WRITE THIS TO EVERYONE THAT WE NEED TO CLEAN

UP THE WAIKATO RIVER BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY DIRTY, AND IM WRITING THIS NOT JUST FOR ME IT’S FOR EVERYONE IN NEW ZEALAND THAT WE NEED TO CLEAN THE WAIKATO RIVER AND ALL FARMERS SHOULD NOT THROW THERE ANIMAL WASTE AT THE RIVER THEY SHOULD THROW IT PROPERLY BECAUSE WITHOUT IT HOW CAN WE TAKE A BATH AND HOW CAN WE WASH OUR CLOTHES AND WASH THE DISHES HOW CAN WE USE IT IF IT IS ALREADY DIRTY SO I ALSO THIS TO A MAN WHO OWNS THE NEW ZEALAND MR. JOHN KEY THAT HE SHOULD HELP US TO CLEAN THE RIVER ‘CAUSE WE DID’NT VOTE HIM TO DO NOTHING WE VOTE YOU TO HELP US TO KEEP OUR RIVER CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL SO ALL PEOPLE IN NEW ZEALAND LET’S CLEAN THE WAIKATO RIVER.

SO EVERYONE LET’S KEEP OUR RIVER CLEAN AND CLEAR SO THAT WE COULD SAVE ALL THE ANIMALS AND PEOPLE LIVES

THIS IS THE PICTURE OF THE WAIKATO RIVER

THIS IS THE FIRST LARGEST RIVER IN NEW ZEALANDIT STARTS AT THE LAKE TAUPO AND ENDS AT THE TASMAN

SEA.

Waikato-Tainui and Mighty River Powercelebrated in July the signing of theirpartnership agreement outlining how they willwork together in ensuring the futurewellbeing of the Waikato River.The focus of this partnership will be toensure the preservation and enhancement ofthe river and its surrounds for futuregenerations. Several key areas include:

• Establishing river-related enhancementprojects, remedial works and scientificstudies in and around the Waikato River andadjacent locations.

• Undertaking activities and promotingprojects to improve the education,employment opportunities, health andwellbeing of the people of Waikato-Tainui.At the signing, Waikato Raupatu TrustChairman Kingi Porima said the iwi is verypleased to enter a partnership that recognisesthe ancestral role the river holds for Waikato-Tainui and acknowledges the contribution theriver makes to spiritual and temporal health.

“Mighty River Power has recognised that astangata whenua we exercise mana whakahaereover the region and we believe the presence ofthe ams has had an impact on ourrelationship with the river. However, we alsoacknowledge that the dams and theiroperations have produced positive communitybenefits.”

Mighty River Power Chairman, RobChallinor says the agreement is built on both

parties sharing a desire for a sustainable future for the river and was a pragmatic

framework for meeting the concerns of Waikato-Tainui while continuing theoperations of Mighty River Power.“We made that desire clear in our mostrecent Sustainability Report released in April when we clearly stated our

belief that as aresource-based business we are completely entwined with issues of

sustainability. If wedon’t succeed at sustainability then our business will fail.”

SPECIAL MENU OF THE WAIKATO RIVER.

THERE ARE MANY LIVING THINGS IN THE WAIKATO RIVER:Yellow-eyed mullet (Aua) Aldrichetta forsteri Shortfin eel (Hao)Anguilla australisLongfin eel

(Kuwharuwharu)Anguilla dieffenbachiiAustralian longfin eelAnguilla reinhardtiiLamprey (Pirahau)Geotria australisTorrentfish (Papamoko)Cheimarrichthys fosteriGiant kokopu (Kokopu)Galaxias argenteusKoaroGalaxias brevipinnisBanded kokopu (Para)Galaxias fasciatusInangaGalaxias maculatusShort-jawed kokopuGalaxias postvectisBlack mudfishNeochanna diversusGiant bullyGobiomorphus gobiodesCommon bully (Pako)Gobiomorphus cotidianusRedfin bullyGobiomorphus huttoni Cran’s bully Gobiomorphus basalis Grey mullet Mugil cephalus Common smelt (Ngaoire) Retropinna retropinna Black flounder (Patiki) Rhombosolea retiaria Fresh water crayfish (Koura) Paranephrops planifrons Shrimp (Kouraura) Paratya.

THAT’S THE LIVING ANIMALS THAT LIVES IN THE WAIKATO RIVER.