The Legend of Rahi

Rahi had a beautiful wife named Ti Ara.

One day an enemy tribe from a far off mountainous area kidnapped Ti Ara.  Her abductors cast a spell on the neighbouring forests causing the vegetation to become dense and impenetrable, so that nobody would be able to track where Ti Ara was being taken.

Rahi was determined to find Ti Ara.  With the help of his family and tribe he constructed a huge kite, named Manu Tangata.  Before setting off on his journey, Rahi prepared several "ki" (flax bags) filled with the large Moa eggs, for nourishment during his journey.

Tawhirimatea, the god of wind, blew Rahi and his kite high in the sky, before landing Rahi on a ponga fern.

As she was being taken away through the forest, Ti Ara secretly folded back leaves of the silver fern exposing the silvery underside of the leaf.  Rahi was able to follow the silvery trail that Ti Ara had left.

Ti Rahi's abductors, however, eventually became aware of Rahi's approaching presence.  The tohunga of the abductors cast another spell, which caused a hot scorching sun to appear in the sky.  This sun was the sister of Ra, the sun.  Immediately the luscious forest trees dried up in the heat, withered and turned into litter.  Next a strong wind gusted, blowing away the dried remains of the forest, leaving nothing in its wake but a vast sandy desert.

Surrounded by desert, and with no silver trail to follow, Rahi was unable to determine in which direction to continue.  Very soon he became dehydrated in the searing heat.

A large yellow rock came into view, and Rahi sought protection in its shade.  He sensed that this rock was his Tipuna.  As Rahi sat, the rock slowly began to change colour, and from yellow it gradually turned to a cool green colour.

Just at this moment, Namu, a giant friendly eagle that lived near Rahi's pa arrived, and perched on top of the rock.  The giant eagle trickled water from her beak onto Rahi's face.

Suddenly, however, an enormous charging lizard appeared.  The lizard tried to charge, but was unable to approach near enough to the rock owing to a double force field created by both the rock and Rahi's mauri.

Frustrated, the lizard changed its tactics.  It began relentlessly circling the rock, its huge tail thrashing all the while, uprooting rocks, stones and sand.

The persistent circling and thrashing of the lizard eventually produced a deep canyon which surrounded the rock, and which soon filled with spring waters.  The giant lizard then transformed into a huge taniwha called Utumai.

Rahi now found himself marooned on an island.  And, as if this was not enough, the tohunga of Ti Ara's abductors cast a further spell that made the two suns disappear, producing a cold dark night.  Namu, Rahi's friend the giant eagle, was still perched on the rock.  Although she was so cold that she was in danger of freezing to death, she tried to warm Rahi by blanketing him in her feathers, as the night continued to become steadily colder.

Just then Rahi, looking up, saw three stars twinking brightly.  He realised that his father, Eru, had cast a spell from the top of their maunga.  As Rahi watched, a narrow ice ramp formed to join the island to the shore directly below these aligned stars.

Summoning all the force that remained within him Rahi lifted Namu onto his back, and slowly began to edge his way across the narrow ice walkway towards the shore and to safety.  Just when Rahi and Namu were on the point of reaching shore, the Utumai rose up out of the waters.  In anger it lashed it's head, breaking loose its huge razor sharp teeth which sped through the air towards Rahi.

Fortunately the spear like teeth hit the ice at the edge of the walkway, causing no harm to Rahi and Namu.  Utumai having broken his own neck, then turned belly-up, lifeless.

As if to celebrate the sun came out once Rahi reached land.  In the healing sun rays, Namu was soon warm enough to fly home.  Rahi was able to join his tribe, who had been desperately searching for him, and together they headed for the mountains to rescue Ti Ara.

Rahi and his tribe eventually arrived at the entrance to a cave, situated at the foot of the mountains, where they remained, and hurling menacing threats to Ti Ara's abductors in the interior of the cave.

Rahi and his tribe used a number of heavy boulders to block the thermal steam vents and hot pools which covered the thermal mountain.  Very soon the temperature inside the mountain began to rise, discharging fierce billows of hissing steam from the cave mouth.  Ti Ara's abductors were forced to flee their cave in panic - Ti Ara among them.

As Rahi and Ti Ara fell into each other's arms earthquakes and shockwaves began to take place all around, forcing everyone to flee to safety, to run and run away from the impending catastrophe.  The next day an enormous explosion took place, hurling the mountain high into the sky.

Te Puhuru, the tohunga who cast spells during the abduction of Ti Ara, had remained inside the mountain.  When it exploded Te Puhuru was blasted into the heavens, where he still remains, continuing to play out his mischief.

The two tribes gathered on the shores of the lake where Rahi had been marooned, and decided to make peace.  The great taniwha was cooked, and for many days the two tribes ate and discussed together.  They came to the conclusion that it was quite possible to live peacefully in harmony, without war.

It was here, on these shores that the two tribal councils created a game that they pledged to play forever, instead of warring, to ensure everlasting peace.  They based their game on the abduction of Ti Ara, the game with circles of peace - Ki-o-Rahi.

According to legend, Ki-o-Rahi is conveyed to other areas, when peace is desired, by the wind as it caresses the lakes and shores where the game was originated.

Maori-in-Oz.com gratefully acknowledge Harko Brown for sending through the above Legend.