Whaitere

## Legend

Whaitere lived in a small bay with her two parents. She was raised by them as anyone else was. She helped her parents out by collecting food and enjoyed playing with her friends in the seaweed. From a young age, she was taught to be cautious, of the local people who always fished near the bay, as they would take away anything and anyone who crossed paths with their nets, never to be seen again. As the years passed, Whaitere started to notice that the fish started to disappear one by one without leaving a trace behind. Soon her friends would go, and then one day, she would realize that her parents had gone missing. She went searching for them that night. The stories of the fisherman would run over and over in her mind. Then she gave up for the night and laid down on the sea floor and cried. Her friends that haven't been taken away tried to comfort her, but she never changed emotions. One of the fish told her that they saw the people carrying away stingray that day. This only made her cry even more.

"Why would the people take my parents when they were so good towards others?" she asked.

She sent a karakia (a prayer) out from her sadness. That karakia floated through the tides and reached Tangaroa (Maori god of the sea) and Hinemoana (Maori deity of the sea). Hinemoana reached the stingray in the form of a wave and carried her away to Rarohenga, the underworld.

"This is where your parents now dwell," Hinemoana said to her in a soft tone. "If you eat the food here, you will remain here forever. I will be back at the end of this day to take you back." At that note, Hinemoana left Whaitere to find her parents. She couldn't find her parents at first, but then found them because of their big, black wings. They had the colors of the paua shell woven through their wings. She immediately swam over and hugged them and began to cry once more.

"Why would you leave me?"

Her parents did not reply, but showed her the whole underworld. They showed her magnificent sights, one of them being the eternal gardens, infinite stacks of food that constantly gets replenished. She remembered the sea goddess telling her about the food. Whaitere told her parents about how she can stay there forever if she ate the food. Her parents asked her to visit one more site in the underworld. They took her to a cave and explained that this is one of the sacred veins of Papatuanuku. They traveled into the cave and came across a magical rock.

"Rest on this rock." Her mother gestured.

She did as told and the minute that she touched the rock, she was transformed. Her black wings were filled with the colors of the paua and she felt magic power surge through her skin.

"The overworld and underworld are connected with one another. Without one, the other could not exist. You have been chosen as a guardian for the overworld. Your purpose is to teach others to respect everyone's home as you do." explained her parents.

"But, I don't want this! I want to be with you!" Cried Whaitere.

"Your new powers have the ability to do many things, one being able to travel back and forth between worlds."

With her new and improved wings, she embraced her parents and swam back towards the surface.

"As long as I can see you."

Whaitere said goodbye to her parents and then found Hinemoana. They went back home to Whaitere's bay where she carries out her new duties as a guardian of the overworld.

## Sources

* http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/Whaitere-the-enchanted-stingray