Paki Kēhua

Mata(ku)riki

Episode 22 – Mata(ku)riki (Based on a True Story) 
Hawaiki is our ancient homeland, but where is it and how did we forget its location in less than a thousand years? Here's an answer that I grew up with. When we asked Koro if he knew where Hawaiki was, he would always point upwards. "We're from the stars," he would say. "How else could we know without cartography tools that the North Island looked like a fish? The only way you could know is via an aerial view... from the stars." There are clues everywhere that we are from the stars. The instructions from Kupe are "whakatau ki a Atutahi mā Rēhua." Everyone assumes he was mapping the ocean pathway using the stars as a guide, but have we considered the possibility that when Kupe said, "go via Atutahi and Rēhua," he meant it - "whakatau" or visit Atutahi via Rēhua - and was giving us the true location of Hawaiki... among the stars? It's obvious when you think about it, which brings us to our story of the stars of Te Waka o Rangi and a young man's terrifying journey that would bring him face to face with the captain of Te Waka o Rangi, Taramainuku, the soul collector. 
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Pounamu

Episode 21 - Pounamu (Based on a True Story) 
Pounamu, or greenstone, is more than just a precious stone. It is a living treasure, the 'fish of Ngahue', as the old stories say. As such, it is considered more valuable than common stones such as gold or diamonds. We wear pounamu, we fight with it, we even liken it to the magnificence of the glistening ocean. But in its beauty lies a tūpato. Pounamu can be a vessel, a conduit where emotions, especially the more insidious type are captured and the, let's say “karma” is passed on to the future owner. This is why one must be careful when buying pounamu. You should not buy it from just anyone, and only a fool would buy a second-hand pounamu. Well, my friends, this is a story about a fool I knew. 
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The Burning Mattress

Episode 20 - The Burning Mattress (Based on a True Story) 
You're supposed to burn the mattress that a tūpāpaku lies on. It's based on an old tikanga whereby a small 'whare mate' was built specifically to house the tūpāpaku, and then burned immediately after the body was taken to the urupā. I mean, would you really want to sleep on the same mattress after a dead person has been on it?Today's Māori are different, and the old ways are often traded off for convenience and expedience. Young Māori of today, beware. There is a reason our tipuna put laws in place – unbreakable laws to be broken at one's own risk, as the unfortunate man in our story soon discovers. If you think you can hide behind the "I didn't know" card, don't be surprised if a kēhua chews it up, spits it out, and blows hūpē on it. Don't say you weren't warned. 
 
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Te Kaingaroa a Haungaroa

Episode 19 - Te Kaingaroa a Haungaroa (Based on a True Story) 
This is a tale about inheritance. Not something as common as money or assets, but something far more intriguing: magic! I know of several practices to acquire occult powers. There's knowledge of karakia and incantations, of course, but more is needed than just words. The Ngau Taringa rite involves the passing of power through biting the ear of a dying tohunga. Then there's the magic diet, where you know... eat someone with the power. Finally, there's whakapapa, where the ability stays within the family and can resurface in later generations under the right conditions. Our story follows a group that ventures into the Kaingaroa Forest and encounters trees that have come to life. They realise that a young girl in their group is a descendant of the woman who cursed them originally, turning them into cabbage trees. This story is about one thing: revenge. 
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Over The Blood Moon (Part 3)

Episode 18 - Over the Blood Moon, Part Three (Retelling of an Old Story) 
Fighting out of the brown corner, weighing in at 200 pounds, all the way from Rotorua... Koro Pat (aka Hatupatu)! And in the red corner, weighing in at a trim 950 pounds, 1000 pounds if you include the wings, Kurungaituku! Oh, also, this is a tag match, and Kurungaituku's tag-team is an entire army of Amazonian bird warriors like herself. Koro Pat's tag team are Kara, Nikau, and their class of gifted Māori kids from Tutunui School. It sounds like an unfair fight, but don't worry, the class has one thing going for them that the bird army hasn't anticipated: they're small and insignificant. Nobodies. Just a bunch of clever, nerdy little kids. Well, that's what the bird women see, but the bird women have made a grave mistake. As every parent should know, never ever underestimate your kids. Especially when they're Māori kids. Clever Māori kids at that. Let's get ready to rumbllllllleeeeeee. DING! DING! 
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Over The Blood Moon (Part 2)

Episode 17 - Over the Blood Moon, Part Two (Retelling of an Old Story) 
Our two anti-heroes, Kara and Nikau, have been separated from the rest of the class (their own doing, of course), and they've just heard a monstrous scream from a terrifying creature that's shaken them to the core. They've decided to do what any typical Māori kid would do and run... towards the scream. If you reckon the boys are going to run into some kind of unimaginable, grotesque demon, well, you'd be right, but there's more to it than that. Also, Koro is acting more squirmy than usual, and he's definitely super grumpy (that's probably normal). Then there's the mysterious guide, Ingo, who seems like she's up to something. Is the blood moon affecting everyone? Oh mate, you have no idea... 

Over The Blood Moon (Part 1)

Episode 16 - Over the Blood Moon, Part One (Retelling of an Old Story) 
Kara and Nikau are a pair of typical haututū Māori boys who have been blessed with an extra set of brains. They are on a class trip to New Zealand's Geothermal Wonderland, Te Puia. It sounds harmless, but they visited Te Puia on November 19, 2021, which some of you may remember as the night of the Blood Moon. Now, haututū Māori and anything with the word "blood" are never going to end well. There's also something up with their guide; the boys have noticed that there's more than meets the eye. However, Kara and Nikau don't care as they have their own plans. They are about to launch a clever little scheme for some unsanctioned fun and will soon learn that they might be a little too clever for their own good. 
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Why Y Wai

Episode 15 - Why Y Wai. (Based on a True Story) 
I hesitated when writing this story about breaking the karanga. The rules are absolute, so I wasn't sure how, or even if, we could record it. The ancient law of karanga was instilled in us from a young age: If you break your karanga, someone dies. The problem is that most people, especially the younger generation, do not believe in this anymore. The young woman in our story is about to learn that this is the law, and there are consequences, whether you believe in them or not. 
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The Tia Hunter

Episode 14 - The Tia Hunter (Based on a True Story) 
Let's say you had actual DNA evidence of creation. You would be solving one of the greatest mysteries of mankind.  
For a Pākehā, I guess it would be like finding the golden apple core that Adam discarded, or a fig leaf. Heck, I don't know. But for a Māori, it would be a much more interesting prospect. To accept our version of creation would mean that everyone else's version would need to be re-evaluated.  
Years ago, I heard a story about an incident back in the 1960s. One of the axes, either Te Awhiorangi or Whironui, had been found deep in the forest in the Aotea region. Without even seeing the axe, the old people knew by the description of the wave of emotion felt when the finder approached it, that it was indeed one of the sacred toki.  
I was a young toa in training at the time, so I was fascinated by what it might look like or feel like. How petty I must have been. This discovery was way more than I could have possibly understood at the time. The discovery, and what it means, is really simple: if the axe is real, then Tūmatauenga is too. 
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The Power of Three Plus One

Episode 13 - The Power of Three ... Plus One (Based on a True Story) 
“The power of three plus one” revolves around four boys.  
Three likeable bullies and the little brother of the leader.  
The three bullies are not mean or nasty, but instead are more like older brothers who throw their weight around.  
I based them on Māori boys from my childhood who were dynamic, cheeky, tough, and dramatic. They were the ones who gave the teachers a hard time, but they also knew their limits. If they pushed too far, the teachers would call their mothers and it would be over.  
The three are like the Scooby-Doo gang in that they solve mysteries using their wits and Māori instincts, always managing to get themselves out of seemingly impossible situations.  
This story is the first in a trilogy, with the boys facing off against the King of the Patupaiarehe. 
The story contains several real-life elements. For example, the boy ‘Te Hamuti’ is a real person, and there is a waiata that recounts Te Hamuti's encounter with the King of the Patupaiarehe. The tūāhu or altar is also real, as well as the practice of leaving kai on the altar for the King of the Patupaiarehe.  
Most importantly, the King of the elves, Te Ririo, is a real entity. 
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