Voyage of Rata to Pari-roa to avenge Wahie-roa.

When Rata attained to manhood he sought particulars as to the death of his father. Said his mother, “He died at Pari-roa, which lies southward of Tawhiti-roa, slain by Matuku-tangotango and Pou-hao-kai.” Rata now resolved to avenge his father's death; hence he procceded to hew out a canoe to carry him across. Three times did he fell a tree for the purpose, and three times, on returning to work, did he find that tree re-erected as though it had never been felled. On complaining of this strange occurrence to his mother, she told him to go and consult Whakaiho-rangi, at Ahuahu, who directed him how to proceed. Thus the canoe of Rata was made, and named “Aniwaru.” It was hauled to the sacred place and there consecrated by priests, who chanted their ritual over it. Then Rata and his party, in eight vessels, sailed forth to cross the seas to Pari-roa, the land of his enemies.

Having arrived at Pari-roa, the expedition found that, owing to a scarcity of food-supplies, the people were scattered about in various places looking for food in forests and on the seashore, hence many were slain in small parties, and several villages were taken, including Hau-rarama, the home of Pou-hao-kai, of his daughter Hine-komahi, and of her brother Kaukau-awa. The party then attacked Awarua, the village of Matuku-tangotango. This place was also taken and its people slain, the bones of Matuku, of Pou-hao-kai, and of Huri-whenua being taken as material for fish-hooks and spear-points. Thus was the death of Wahie-roa avenged, and Rata and his companions returned in safety to their homes.

The above story is a long one in the original, but is here much condensed. The story of Rata is known from New Zealand to the Hawaiian Group, and is evidently an old one. The situation of the lands or islands of Whiti-anaunau, Tawhiti-roa, and Pari-roa is unknown, as the names are not now used and appear only in tradition, but the first two were apparently adjacent to each other. Polynesians have an objectionable habit of changing both place names and personal names. For instance, Wawau was an old name of Porapora Island, while Aitutaki was formerly known as Arahura, Mangaia as Ahuahu, and Mauke as Whenua-manu. The North Island of New Zealand appears in some old legends as Hukurangi, a variant of Hikurangi. It was known to some Polynesians as Rangimaki, and also as Hawaiki-tahutahu, according to Colonel Gudgeon: “The people of Tongareva and Manihiki isles, lying north of Rarotonga, insist that their ancestors came form page 41 Hawaiki-ta'uta'u, which is the Rarotongan name for New Zealand…. Before the time of Tangihia and Karika (circa 1250 A.D.) people came to these northern islands from New Zealand.”

Now if, as was held by the late Mr. S. Percy Smith, Whitianaunau was an old name for an isle of the Viti, Whiti, or Fiji Group, then the above expedition that sailed to the south-west must have reached New Caledonia, or some of the southern New Hebrides, none of which are very far distant. It would appear that New Guinea would have furnished finer bird-plumes than any other isles of the western Pacific. From the Fiji Group New Guinea lies a considerable distance north of west. Historical traditions transmitted verbally for centuries may, however, easily become somewhat disarranged as to details. According to tradition the voyage was a long one.