like all others, was shaded by groves of breadfruit, coco-nut, and banana trees. He was a pleasant and intelligent looking man, evidently of great age, but unfortunately very deaf. With the aid of his granddaughter's husband, how ever, we soon got him to understand that we wanted to ask him about old times. In answer to the question as to whether he had ever heard of any migrations leaving Rarotonga in former times, he thought a bit, then his face brightened up and he said, "Yes; I have heard of several migrations from Rarotonga. Once there sailed from here a fleet composed of several canoes, the names of which were (after thinking a little) Te Arava, Kura-aupo, Mata-atua, Toko-maru, Tainui, and Taki-tumu. Tainui and Toko-maru sailed from Wai-toko, at Arorangi (Wai-toko is an opening in the reef at Arorangi, west side of Rarotonga), and all the others from Wai-te-kura (a stream not far from Arorangi). They all went away together in one fleet. The captain of Tainui was named Oturoa,[1] and his nganga, or profession, was the karakia (meaning he was a priest), but I do not remember the names of any of the other people. Taki-tumu was the first canoe to sail to New Zealand. It afterwards came back to Rarotonga. The other canoes did not return, only one came back, viz., Taki-tumu. This island had been settled, at the time the fleet left, by Tangiia and his descendants. Taki-tumu was the first canoe of Tangiia's tere that came to this island. It came to Vai-kokopu, near Nga-tangiia. I do not know the name of Horo-uta, nor of Ngatoro-i-rangi, nor of Tama-te-kapua. I know the name of Mata-atua, but I do not know the names of Toroa, nor of Muriwai, but there is a clan called Mata-atua living at Arorangi. I do not know the name of Muri-enua canoe, but that is a name given to this district of Nga-tangiia. A
- ↑ According to Maori tradition, Hotu-roa was captain of the Tainui, his brother Hotu-nui, was the priest.
