The Maori Version

According to the tradition in the rvgar l-tahu tribe of Maoris, says Colonies and India, men had become very numerous and evil prevailed everywhere. The tribes quarreled and wars were frequent. The worship of Tane was neglected and his doctrines were openly denied. Men utterly refused to believe the teacliings of l'arawhneua-mea and Tupunuia-a-uta respecting the separatlon of Heaven and earth by Tane, and at length cursed those two devout men when they continued their teaching. Then these two teachers were very angry and got their stone axes and cut down totaf a and other trees, which they dragged together to the source of the River Tohinga (baptism). They bound the timber together with vines of the pirita and ropes and made a very wide raft. Then they made incantations, and built a house on the raft, and put much food into it - fern root, kumar (sweet potato) and dogs. Next they repeated their incantations, and prayed that rain tnight descend in such abundance as would convince men of the power of Tane, and prove the truth of tiis existence, and the necessity of the ceremonies of worehip for lif e and for peace, and to avert evil and death. Then these teachers - with Tu-iRete, a female named Walpnna-Nau, and other women - got on the raft. Hu, who was the priest on the raft, prayed that the rain might descend in great torrents. and when it had so rained for four or five days and nights he repeated his incantations that it might cease, and it ceased. The raft was lifted by the waters and floated down the River Tohinga. All men and women and children were drowned of those who denied the truth of the doctrines preached by Taile. The legend then gives a detailed account of the wanderings of the raft, and the doingsand adven tures of its oo cupants. Once they saw goddesses wandering on the face of the ocean. These came to inake a commotion in the sea, that the raft might be destroyed and those on it might perish. The sea was boisterous, but the raft and its occupants were not overwhvlmed. When they had floated about for teven moons, Tiu spoke to his companions and said: "We shall not die; we shall land on the earth." In the eig-nth month the rolling motion of the raft had changed; it now pitched up and down and rolled. Tiu then said that the sig-ns of his stafï indicated that the sea was becoming less deep, and he declared that that was the month in whlch they would land on dry earth. They did land at Ilawaiki - the place from which the Maoris, according to their traditions, migrated to New Zealaid.