Papakauri

A tipua, an enchanted tree that grew and flourished at Opokura, near Okauia, on the Waiho River. After many years this tree was uprooted, and lay where it fell for several generations, until a great flood floated the trunk down stream towards Hauraki. With the tree came a certain ngarara known as Hinarepe (probably a lizard), who was also a tipua. The tree landed at Te Konehu, a tunga uira,¹ and there Hinarepe bit a stone which was the shrine of the lightning at that place. The mere fact of biting an object has the effect of depriving a person or thing bitten of his mana, and that mana is by such action removed to the biter thereof. Therefore this act of Hinarepe removed the mana (the lightning) from the stone at Te Konehu. This done, Hinarepe returned to Papakauri, and the two floated down the stream until they reached Te Kairere, and established there another tunga uire with the lightning taken from Te Konehu. The two tipua then floated out into Hauraku Gulf and touched at Hauturu, where Hinarepe left.

Papakauri, deserted by its familiar spirit, returned to the Waihou River, and moved quietly back to its old home at Okauia. It was seen by Maiotaki, a chief of the Ngati-Maru, who recognized that the log was a tipua of great mana, since it was moving up stream against the current. He stopped the log with a powerful incantation took possession of it.

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