Pōhutukawa

Ko te ** pōhutukawa ** (*Metrosideros excelsa*) he momo rātā, e 20 mita pea te teitei. He rākau tēnei o te takutai moana o Te Ika-a-Māui, mai i Taranaki tae noa ki Te Rerenga Wairua, mai i Te Rerenga Wairua tae noa ki Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa. Hei te marama o Hakihea, ka puta ngā pua, he kura. He maha ngā kōrero tuku iho e pā ana ki taua rākau whakaruruhau.

## Ngā kōrero tuku iho mō te pōhutukawa
### Te Arawa waka
Ka tata mai ki uta, kite rawa mai ki te pōhutukawa o te tahatika e ura atu ana, ehara tau ana te tututupō ki te wai. Kātahi tētahi o ngā rangatira o te waka rā ka karanga ake, "E! kua nui ake te kura o tēnei kāinga i te kura o Hawaiki, ka panga ahau i āku kura ki te wai." Ehara, panga atu aua kura ki te wai. Ko te ingoa te tangata ko Tau-ninihi, nāna i panga atu a Tai-whakaea. Ū rawa mai rā ki 
uta, ehara kua pā atu ngā ringa ki aua pōhutukawa, ana horo noa iho, kātahi rātou ka mahara he puāwai rākau ēnei mea. Ka raruraru ngā rangatira o runga i a Te Arawa mō te maumauranga o ā rātou kura i panga ai ki te wai, muri tata iho, ka kitea aua kura e Mahina, ā, e takoto mai nei anō kei a Te Whānau-a-Apanui. 

Muri tata iho, ka kitea aua kura a Tau-ninihi ki te one, nā Mahina i kite, rongo rawa ake kua kitea, tae rawa atu ki te tiki, kīhai i riro mai, koia tenei pepeha mō te mea kite, e, ka kitea te taonga makere, kāore e hoatu e au, tā te mea ko te paekura a Mahina.

I te tomokanga atu ki te wahapū o te awa o Kaituna e pātata ana ki Ōkūrei, kia kore ai te waka e kawea e te ia o te awa, ka herea a Te Arawa ki tētahi toka nui, ko Toka-parore me tētahi toka punga, ko Tū-te-rangi-haruru. Ko te tohunga ko Ngātoro-i-rangi te tuatahi kia makere, ka takina e ia ana karakia ki raro i tētahi rākau pōhutukawa e pua ana. Ko te ingoa o taua wāhi ko Ōngātoro, ā, nō te tau 1940 ka hangaia he kōwhatu whakamaumaharatanga kei reira.

### Tainui waka
Ko Kāwhia te taunga whakamutunga o Tainui i tana hekenga roa i Hawaiki. Ka tau mai te waka ki Kāwhia, ka herea ki tētahi rākau pōhutukawa, ko Tangi-te-korowhiti te ingoa. Ka tōia te waka ki uta, ki Rangiāhua. Ko te takotoranga o Tainui, ko te wāhi e tū ana te marae o Waipapa i ēnei rā, e tata ana ki te tāone o Kāwhia. I te ūnga o te waka, ka whakatūria e Hoturoa tōna tuāhu, ko Te Ahurei.

E ōrite ana ngā kōrero o Tainui waka mō mō te kura o Mahina. Ko te ūnga tuatahi o Tainui ko Whangaparāoa, ko te mea tuatahi i kitea ai e rātou ko ngā pua o te rākau pōhutukawa. I te kitenga atu o te kura o ngā pua nei, i pōhēhē rātou he momo kura hōu tēnei, nō reira i whiua atu e Hāpopo rāua ko Tai-ninihi i ō rātou kura ki te moana. I te tatanga atu ki ngā pua kura nei i kite he ngoikore ngā pua nei, ā, i hiahiatia tonutia e rāua i ō rāua kura, engari nā ētehi atu i kite, ka haria mā rāua. Nā Māhina te kura o Hāpopo i kite, nā Māihiihi i kite te kura o Tai-ninihi.

## Hoto ki waho

## Tohutoro
*Biggs, Bruce, and Jones, *Nga Iwi o Tainui*, Tāmaki-makau-rau: Te Whare tā pukapuka o te Wānanga o Tāmaki-makau-rau, 1995.
*Grey, Tā George, *Nga Mahinga a nga Tupuna Maori*. London: George Willis, (1854).  
*Metcalf, Laurie, 2002. *A Photographic Guide to Trees of New Zealand*. Tāmaki-makau-rau: New Holland.
*Royal, Te Ahukaramū Charles, 'Waikato', *Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand*, 26-9-2006. Mātāpuna: https://web.archive.org/web/20081201103400/http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/Waikato/mi
*Salmon, J.T., 1986. *The Native Trees of New Zealand*. Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara: Heinemann Reed.
*Tapsell, Paul, 'Te Arawa', *Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand*, 26-9-2006. Mātāpuna: https://web.archive.org/web/20061001145632/http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/TeArawa/mi

## Whakaahua


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