Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

Toi and his people had settled at Whakatane. He asked the women of Tamaki (with whom his people had intermarried) what were the foods of the country.

"One of them named Raru replied to Toi, that birds, fish, both salt and fresh-water, cockles and fruits of the forest, were the food of this land. Then they proceeded to try which of these fruits were good to eat, that is the mamaku tree fern, the species of fern-root named the aruhe-para, aruhe-papawai [with flattish roots, aruhe-whatiwhati [brittle root, with only two strings in it], aruhe-paranui [with whitish, smooth, thin skin], pikopiko, young shoots of fern; the Ti, or whanake, cabbage tree, the kouka, raupo roots, the matai and kahikatea berries, the patotara berries, the korau, wild cabbage, the koka [species of fern, young shoots eaten], the poniu, the tutu, the konini and the poroporo; the parā hua-kareao, tawa, karaka, for at that time there were neither kumara nor taro in either this or the South Island."

Told by Te Matorohanga. Written by H. T. Whatahoro. Translated by Percy Smith