How Ihenga Found Lake Roto-Rua

At this time Ihenga, taking some dogs with him to catch Kiwi with, went to Paritangi by way of Haukau-matua, and a kiwi was chased by one of his dogs.

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The Kiwi was caught in a lake, and the dog ate some of the fish and shellfish in the lake, after diving in the water to get them.

The dog then returned to its master, carrying the kiwi in its mouth, and on reaching its master, it dropped the kiwi and vomited up the raw fish and shellfish which it had eaten.

When Ihenga saw his dog wet all over, and the fish and shellfish it had vomited up, he knew there was a lake there, and he was extremely glad, and returned, joyfully to Maketu,

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There he had the usual religious ceremonies which follow the birth of a child performed over his wife and the child she had given birth to.

When this had been done, he went to explore the country which he had previously visited with his dog.

To his great surprise, he discovered a lake, it was Roro-iti, he left a mark there to show that he claimed it as his own, [Te Roto-whaiti-i-kite-ai-a-Ihenga-i-Ariki-ai-a Kahumatamomoe (the small lake discovered by Ihenga)

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He went further and discovered Lake Roto-rua, and he saw that its waters were running. [Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe "The second great lake of Kahumatamomoe"]

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He also left a mark to show that he claimed that lake as his own.

As he went along the side of the lake, he found a man occupying the ground, then he thought to himself that he would endeavour to gain possession of it by craft.

So he looked out for a spot fit for a sacred place, where men could offer up their prayers, and for another place fit for a sacred place, where nets could be hung up.

He found the two spots, and he took suitable stones to surround the sacred place with, and an old piece of seaweed, looking as if they had years ago been employed as offerings.

Then he went into the middle of the shrubbery, thick with boughs of the taha shrub,

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of the koromuka,

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and of the karamu,

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There he stuck up the posts of the sacred place in the midst of the shrubs, and tied bunches of flax leaves on the posts,

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and having done this, he went to visit the village of the people who lived there.

They saw someone approaching and cried out.

“A stranger, a stranger, is coming here”.

As soon as Ihenga heard these cries, he sat down upon the ground, and then, without waiting for the people of the place to begin the speeches, he jumped up. And commenced to speak, thus,

“What theft is this?”, “What theft is this?”, What theft is this of the people here, that they are taking away my land?”.

For he saw that they had their storehouses full of prepared fern roots and of dried fish, and shellfish, and he appeared to swell with rage, and his throat appeared to grow large from passion as he talked.

“Who authorized you to come here, and take possession of my place?”.

“Be off, be off. Be off, leave alone the place of the man who speaks to you, to whom it has belonged to for a very long time, for a very long time indeed”

Then Maru-punga-nui, the son of Tu-a-roto-rua, the man to whom the place really belonged, said to Ihenga, “It is not your place, it belongs to me if it belongs to you, where is your village? Where is your sacred place? Where is your net? Where are your cultivation's and gardens?”

Ihenga answered him, “Come here and see them”.

So they went together and ascended a hill, and Ihenga said, “See there, there is my net hanging up against the rocks”.

But it was no such thing, it was only a mark like a net hanging up, caused by part of the cliff having slipped away.

“There are the posts of my village”,

But there was nothing really, only some old stumps of trees.

“Look there too at my sacred place, a little beyond yours, and now come with me, and see my sacred place, if you are sure you can see my village and my fishing net, come along”

So they went together, and there he saw the sacred place standing in the shrubbery until at last, he believed Ihenga.

The place was given up to Ihenga, and he took possession of it and lived there.

The descendants of Tu-a-roto-rua departed from that place, and a portion of them, under the chiefs Kawa-arero and Mata-aho, occupied the island of Mokoia, in Lake Roto-rua.