necessary to point out very briefly that these histories say, that Ngahue (Ngaue) came to New Zealand from Hawaiki before the fleet in consequence of disputes between him and Hine-tu-a-hoanga (Ina) as to the respective merits of the greenstone, or nephrite, and the tuhua, or volcanic glass; that Ngahue found the Moa (dinornis) in this country and that he took some of the preserved flesh of the bird back with him, together with a block of greenstone, out of which were made the axes, used in building the canoes of the fleet, the exact names of which, according to Maori tradition, were given by Tamarua. That the fleet arrived here (about the year 1350); that there was a dispute between the crews of Tainui and Te Arawa as to which arrived first, on account of those of Tainui having placed their cable under that of Te Arawa; that Taki-tumu canoe returned to Hawaiki to fetch the kumara tuber, and that she came back to New Zealand with her valuable freight. This last is the only point on which the two stories differ; Tamarua holds that this vessel never returned to New Zealand, but remained at Rarotonga. The Mamari canoe was that of the northern tribes of New Zealand, and though she arrived here at no great distance in time from the fleet, she did not form part of it. The want of knowledge on Tamarua's part of the Aotea canoe is easily explained, for she did not come with the fleet, but arrived a little time before it,[1] having come from Ra'iatea, the strong probability of which has been shown. I may add that the island at which the Aotea canoe called on her way to New Zealand, named by the Maoris, Rangitahua (or Motiwhawha, or Kotiwhatiwha) is known to Rarotongan tradition as Rangitaua, but no indications are given as to its position. I identify it with Sunday Island, of the Kermadec Group, where old Polynesian stone axes have been found.
- ↑ I have the evidence of this, hut it is too long to quote.
