Te Aroha

Ko Te Aroha tētahi o ngā maunga o Hauraki; ko ia tonu te maunga nui o te paehua maunga e kīa nei ko ngā Kaimai. Kei reira hoki te tāone o Te Aroha kei te pūtake o Te Aroha maunga e tū ana.

Te Aroha maunga

Ki ngā iwi o Hauraki, he maunga tapu a Te Aroha. Ko Te Aroha te maunga, ko Marutūāhu te iwi. I ngā wā o mua, he nunui rawa ngā kai o te whenua kei te pūtake o Te Aroha maunga; ngā kai o te ngahere, me ngā kai o ngā awa. Kātahi te reka o ngā kererū, me ngā manu katoa o te ngahere; kī tonu ngā repo, ki te tuna. Hau atu ai te rongo mō; te mōmona o ngā manu, te maha o te harakeke e tupua nei e tēnei whenua, te reka me te nui o ngā ika o ngā awa me ngā tuna o ngā repo o Te Aroha. Tētahi nui o tērā maunga i ngā wā o mua ko ngā waiariki. Haere ai ki reira ngā tāngata haere-tokotoko, haere-hape, ki ngā ngāwhā o Te Aroha; ā, koiarā te mana o aua waiariki ki te whakamahu i ngā mate. Koirā te mana o taua maunga ki te taha Māori; ko te mana o tērā maunga ki te taha Pākehā i tērā atu rautau ko ngā tahua koura e kerikeria mai nei i ngā hiwi i runga atu o te awa o Waihou, te kōngutu i tapā nei e ngā Māori ko Waiorongomai.

Te Aroha-ki-tai, Te Aroha-ki-uta

E rua ngā tihi kei runga tonu o Te Aroha maunga: ko Te Aroha-ki-tai, ko Te Aroha-ki-uta. He maha ngā kōrero mō aua ingoa. E ai ki Te Arawa, i tapā te maunga e Kahumatamomoe (Kahu, Te Momoe) ki te ingoa Te Aroha-o-Kahu. Ka mihi a Kahu ki te tai, ki Moehau, ki te maunga i moe ai a Tamatekapua, koiarā a Te Aroha-ki-tai. Ka huri, ka mihi ki te whenua, ki te wāhi i noho ai ōna whanaunga a Tia rāua ko Maaka, koiarā a Te Aroha-ki-uta (tirohia Stafford 1967:38). E ai ki Waikato ko Kahu he wahine kē, arā ko Kahupeka, te whaea o Raka-maomao (Jones 1995:58). E ai ki Taimoana Turoa o Hauraki, nā Rāhiri o Mātaatua waka aua ingoa. I a Rāhiri e noho ana ki Te Tai-tokerau, ka puta tana whakaaro kia hoki ia ki Whakatāne, ki tōna kāinga tuatahi i Aotearoa nei. Ka haere, ka tae ki Hauraki, ka piki, ka kake, ā, ka kite i tōna kāinga tawhito, ka puta te aroha i a ia. Ka tae ki te wā i haere tonu ai ia ki Whakatane, i waiho i a ia ētahi o ōna tāngata ki reira, koiarā a Ngāti Rāhiri e noho tonu nei ki te pūtake o Te Aroha maunga (Turoa 1997:20).

He Waiata mō Te Aroha

He maha ngā waiata mō Te Aroha; koianei tētahi:

E piki ana i te pikitanga

Ko Te Aroha maunga me te whare o Cadman i te tau 1915 pea

E piki ana i te pikitanga,

Ka whano ka tautuku aku turi,

Ki konei hoki koe e te tau,

Ki konei au whakamau ai i te auahi i nā

Rā runga o te utu mana ki Te Aroha i

Nā reira taku wairua,

Moe rawa iho nei ki te pō,

Me he wai au e maringi ana.

E kei whea te tau i ngā rangi rā?

E whano mawehe ana;

Tēnei, ka eke nei au i te huirangi,

Kia kauria te wā-moana,

Ki a Pakaurangi i te tai-tonga,

Nōna pea e te wairua,

Haramai nei whakaoho rawa i taku moe

Kia whiti rere hoki atu i waho nā

Ka kitea tō kino e te tau ki ahau i ia.

He kōrero o mua mō Te Aroha maunga

Ruatāne

Hoto ki waho

Whakamōhiotanga tūruhi (reo Pākehā)

Tohutoro

Jones, Pei Te Hurinui, and Bruce Biggs, (1995) Nga Iwi o Tainui. Auckland: Auckland University Press.
Stafford, D.M., (1967). Te Arawa, A History of the Arawa People. Auckland: Reed.
Turoa, Taimoana, (1997). Nga Iwi o Hauraki, The Iwi of Hauraki. Paeroa: Hauraki Māori Trust Board.
Te Korimako, Vol 1: No.37, p.6, 16 Hui-tanguru, 1885