A song to the caretaker tides of Tangaroa

The risks were accepted by our voyaging ancestors. Their faith in the great spirit of both the land and the sea gave them no room to doubt that if all of the teachings were kept faithfully, then the journey would be completed as told to them by the teachers. With simple yet complex tide waiata, the teachers ensured that knowledge was handed on faithfully into the future of time.

We are the living proof of this faith and commitment, and the knowledge base for the journey not only ended as predicted in the songs and stories, but it gave rise to almost immediate return journeys for resupply of foodstuffs and for the new people. This was practised for some many turns of Te Ahi Komau o Tahana Rerenga a To, finishing only in the time of the arrival of Nga Waka Whanui a Hapu o is Iwi me Waka Tauhou.

Ata whakarongo e tama
ki nga kupu o ratou
i hoe mai ra i te ngutu o nga tai
kona mai i to aranga mai e
o te tipua a Te Ranui
i Te Rawhiti mai tawhiti e
te hiki e nga tapuwae o Tangaroa
i nga tai tapu maha, i nga ngaru rere
i nga huarahi haere o nga tupuna.
Taihoa e tama, taihoa e hine
kia rongo e koe i tepowhiri o to tipua a
Hine Moana o Te Tai Mahunui, o to
Tai Orooro, o to TaiAraroa,
Ka mimiti Te Tai Keretoro i Waitangi-ki-Roto
Ka pupu Telhutai Maroro i Waitangi-ki-Raro
Kei konei ko nga tai herenga o nga whaea me
nga matua, o nga Tide herenga waka ki konei i
Waitangi-ki-Raro
o Te Tai Maruatonga, o Te Tai Poutini, kia
here ai Te Tai Ihutai Maroro ka here ai
nga waka maha e e e!
Hui ana mai, to tai horahora ki to tai
karohirohi,
hun ana nga ngaru kite urn ti,
ki te uru ta.
Ko nga uruuru enei o mua mai i atawhai
nga waka kapanga kura, o taikorehua.
Tuku atu ra kia wehe ake, enei moana hurihuri,
enei moana teretere, enei moana tarewa.
Kia taepai e tatou kite tauranga
i korero ai…

Listen carefully child
to the words of those
who paddled from the mouths of the tides
from the distance at the rising
of the sun
from the east in the distance
to lift up the footsteps of Tangaroa
in the many sacred tides, in the racing waves,
in the travel trails of our tupuna,
wait patiently son and daughter
till you hear the call of welcome from
Hine Moana of the tide Mahunui, of the tide
Orooro, of the tide Araroa, when the tides of
Keretoro in Waitangi-ki-Roto ebb, the tides of
Ihutai Maroro in Waitangi-ki-Raro flow
It is here that the mother and father binding
tides are the mooring waka tides
here in Waitangi-ki-Raro
of the tide Maruatonga, of the tide of Poutini, to
bind to the tide of Ihutai Maroro to moor all of
the waka e e!
Where the tide ofhorahora meets with the tide
of karohirohi,
and the waves of to uru ti wash against the
waves of to uru ta.
These are the uru tides that cared for
the waka kapanga kura of taikorehua.
Let these tides be separated, the churning oceans,
these fast moving oceans, these far flung oceans.
So that we will arrive safely at the harbours
spoken of…