When the warrior chief Toa-Rangatira died, at south Kawhia, his son, Marangai-paroa, was the leading chief of the area.
He lived in peace with his neighbors until after the birth of his sons Te-Maunu, Kimihia, Tuhaha, Te Haunga and his daughter Te Aka-na-puhia.
A high chief of the Ngati-Ruakawa tribe, called Au-turaroa, was killed by the Ngati-Ternani tribe, and whenever the Ngati-Ruakawa and the Ngati-Maru [of Hauraki] went to avenge Au-turaroa’s death, the Ngat-Terangi would come out of their forts and defeat them.
Many times did the Ngati-Ruakawa and Ngati-Maru try to vanquish the Ngati- Terangi, but, each time the tribe from Tauranga was victorious.
Koroua-puta, one of the Ngati-Ruakawa, went to Kawhia to seek assistance and request a war party to defeat the Ngati-Terangi.
Marangi-paroa wept long bitterly when he heard of Au-turaoa’s death, for he was a kinsman, and when he had ended his lamentations he said to Koroua-puta, “You return, I will follow you”.
At that reply Koroua-puta thought that Marangi-paroa would sound the battle cry among the whole of people along the west coast, so he returned contentedly, to his home at Maungatautari.
On his way home he visited the Waipa valley, and found Tangaroa-meke and his people cultivating his soil.
The chief said to Koroua-puta, “Behold the industry of my people, laying up stores of food to keep their bodies nourished in time of winter”.
Koroua-puta replied, “ Your fame for food cultivation has spread over the land, but the battle is by the sea”.
He said this because Tangaroa-meke was a blood relative of Au-turaroa’s, but the Waipa chief did not show any love for his relative who had been killed.
Eventually, Koroua-puta reached home in the land of the Ngati-Ruakawa, at Maungatautari.
He called for his people to gather great quantities of food together or Marangi-paroa’s army that he expected from Kawhia.
After Koroua-puta had left Kawhia, Marangi-paroa called his own sons and blood relatives together and assembled a war party of 140 selected men who marched with him to Maungatautari.
When the Ngati-Ruakawa saw so small a war party they felt disappointed and contemptuous, and withheld the food that they had prepared for the expected army.
The day soon came when the avengers marched to engage the Ngati-Terangi in battle.
Ngati-Ruakawa and Ngati-Maruboth said to Marangai-paroa “What is the use of you going to fight the Ngati-Terangi with such a small band?”. “Those foes of ours are a very numerous people”.
Marangi-paroa replied with a proverb, “Though I am but a small cloud passing over the mountain Moeatoa, you will see.”
They went on towards Rungaterangi, and the other two tribes followed, much perturbed.
When the warriors of Tauranga saw the approaching war party, they came out of their Pa [fortified village] to attack Marangi-paroa.
The Kawhia chief gazed intently on the great army of Tauranga warriors, indeed they seemed numberless.
Again the chiefs of the two tribes spoke to him about the huge array of foes, saying “Behold the crabs of Rangataua, it is impossible for you to bewitch them. Discretion is the path of wisdom. Go home, if you go on you will never return”.
Marangi-paroa replied, “Though the stars may be few in the heavens, and the clouds ever so great, the stars can never be obliterated”.
He then arranged his men, 40 men he sent with his two sons, Haunga and Tuhaha, some he sent to his other sons, and some he kept for himself.
Haunga and Tuhaha bravely engaged the Ngati-Terangi, and Tuhaha called to his younger brother, “Be careful, so that we may see our parents and brothers again”.
Haunga would not listen, he became reckless and dashing at the foe, slaying left and right, and his men, seeing his great example also became desperate men.
The slaughtered the Ngati-Terangi, including the head chief, Tumakairoro.
When the two tribes realized that their hated enemies had been defeated by the small band from Kawhia, they were filled with shame, but with admiration for the Kawhia men.
They gave a young woman called Kahurangi, to Marangi-paroa for a wife for his gallant son Haunga.
Then Marangi-paroa and his party returned to Kawhia.
The Waikato people, having heard of Marangi-paroa’s fame, requested his assistance in avenging the death of Nukuraerae, for his mother, Parehounuku was from that particular Waikato tribe.
So, he and his sons, with his people, again went on the warpath.
They marched to Waikato, found and killed those who had caused the death of Nukuraerae.
The Waikato people gave Tira-puna to Marangi-paroa for a wife for his son Haunga.
Tira-puna was the daughter of Whare-tipeti, the elder brother of Tupaue, who was the grandparent of Potatau te Whero-whero, the first Maori king, who died in 1860.
[The Maori could teach “My Heritage” how to keep track of their ancestors]
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-spread-of-the-descendants-of-hoturoa
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/tainui-canoe-travels-from-hawaiki-to-new-zealand
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/myths-and-legends-of-new-zealand-intro
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-this-series-began
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-warrior-deeds-of-kaihuma
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-kaihamu-killed-his-enemies-at-waiatapu
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/tupahau-goes-fishing-at-marokopa
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/maki-s-battles-in-tamaki
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/karewa-s-fights-with-the-ngapuhi
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