Hinemoa and Tutanekai

This is photo of Lake Rotorua with Mokoia Island in the middle.
The lake is the scene of a beautiful Maori legend.

Here is a rather 'anglicised' version of: -
"The Love Story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai"
Hinemoa was a Chieftainess of a tribe,
who lived in a village of Owhata,
located by the shores of lake Rotorua.
On lake Rotorua there is the Island of Mokoia,
four kilometers across the water from Owhata.
On this Island there lived another well born but unfortunately
illegitimate young man named Tutanekai.
The tribes of the two young lovers would sometimes
visit together for special occasions, so it was during these times that
Hinemoa and Tutanekai would come to
know one another and fall in love with each other.
The love of Hinemoa and Tutanekai would grow
stronger and stronger with each passing day,
and there were times in the evening when
Tutanekai would declare his love for Hinemoa
from the Island of Mokoia.
Tutanekai would sit on the verandah of his house,
which was on a hillside overlooking the Lake,
and he would play his flute.
A gentle breeze in the evening would carry the sounds that
Tutanekai played drifting across the waters of lake Rotorua.
Hinemoa as she stood on the shores of the lake would
listen intently, embracing the music from
Tutanekai as he declared his love for her.

However as often as it happens in life Hinemoa's
relatives suspected that she had fallen
in love with Tutanekai and although he was
considered a nice young man, it was not
the wishes of the tribe that the two should unite together in marriage.
Every night they would ensure that all the canoes were
beached up so that Hinemoa would not be able to pull
the canoe into the water and make her way across the lake
to be with her lover Tutanekai.

One evening as Hinemoa stood on the shores of the lake with her
heart so heavy and eyes full of tears, listening to the melody of
Tutanekai's flute, she felt she could bear it no longer.
She lashed together six gourds in order to
keep her afloat and waded herself out into
the lake, being guided along by the music of Tutanekai,
she swam the long journey to Mokoia Island.
When she finally reached the island after hours of exhaustion,
she came across a hot pool and entered it.
She was trembling with cold from the journey
but her heart was full of joy.

Sometime later Hinemoa could hear footsteps coming and
she saw what appeared to be the shadow of a man filling a cala bash with
water from a cold spring next to the hot pool.
At that moment Hinemoa imitated the sound of a mans voice and
called out loudly “Who is that for!”
“I am the servant of Tutanekai, this water is for my master”, came the reply.
Hinemoa's heart was glad knowing that she was so close
to Tutanekai's home. She then seized the calabash from
the servant and broke it on the rocks.
The servant then raced back to his master Tutanekai and
reported to him the strange incident that occurred
at the hot pool, but Tutanekai was too tired and
heart broken to do anything.

The servant once again returned to fill the calabash with
water and again Hinemoa seized the
water calabash and broke it on the rocks.
This would happen time and time again until
Tutanekai finally decided to do
something about the matter himself.
Taking hold of his club he quickly hurried down to
the pool to kill this stranger that
had insulted him. Calling out for the intruder to
identify himself, Tutanekai quickly made
his way around the hot pool reaching around
the edges, until finally he grabbed the arm
of the adversary pulling him out of the water into the moonlight.

“Tutanekai” she whispered, “It is I Hinemoa”

Tutanekai surprised as he was, stood and stared at
her in the moonlight, they then
embraced each other as the two young lovers made
their way back to Tutanekai's house.
No longer would they be separated from each other again.

The next morning as the two lovers slept in late,
Tutanekai's father sent his servant off to wake him,
it was then reported by the servant that as he approached the door of
Tutanekai's house, as he looked into the room he could see
two pairs of feet and not one lying in Tutanekai's bed.

After that Hinemoa and Tutanekai emerged
together embracing one another.
From that moment on their union and love for one another was
accepted by their relatives and tribes.

This true love story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai is considered to be
the greatest love story that is recorded in Maori History,
the descendants of these two young lovers still
play out this famous legend today in the city of Rotorua,
serenading wedding couples with their world famous love song
“ Pokarekare ana” the greatest love song in the
History of the Maori People.