The+story+of+Mt+Taylor+Taurere

Long ago, when the canoes of the great fleet came to new Zealand, the canoe Aotea called in at the Tamaki Estury on its way to Patea in Taranaki. The tribespeople who lived in a pa on Mt Taylor, which was then called Taurere, made the visitors welcome and they stayed for several weeks. Turi, the chief from the Aotea canoe, had his young son Turanga with him, and Titahi, the chief of Taurere had a beautiful young daughter called Parehuia. Even though he was so young Turanga was amazed at the beauty of the young princess and when the time came for the canoe to set off for Taranaki he took her aside and told her that one day when he had grown into a man, he would return and claim her as his bride. As a token of his love,Turanga gave Parehuia a handful of seeds. They were the seeds of a new kind of tree, a tree with wide deep green leaves, that would produce a large plum coloured berries for the birds of the forest and the peple of Aoteroa to eat. Turanga asked Parehuia not to marry anyone else, but to wait for him and when the first berries ripened he would return. Parehuia planted the seeds and looked after them as they grew. There were tall slender white herons (kotoku) in the swamp near the karaka grove, and a pair of these birds became friendly with the young princess as she visited the trees and played amongst them. And so the years went by. Parehuia kept Turanga's promise in her heart, and would think of him as she looked after the trees and watched the kotuku dance in the swamp. Then one day, berries appeared on the karaka trees. As they ripened, Parehuia's father told her he had arranged for her to marry the son of a chief from a neighbouring tribe. Just before the wedding Turanga returned. He had a small group of men who had travelled with him. Parehuia's father didn't know the real reason for Turanga's return. He welcomed the travellers, a great feast was held and there were activities and games to celebrate the return of the visitors from long ago. However when Turanga asked for Parehuia's hand in marrage, Titahi's friendliness cooled. He told Turanga that such a thing would not be possible. Parehuia couldnt believe that her lifelong dream was to be shattered, but her father would not change his mind. He had already chosen his daughters husband. After trying in wain to persuade hi to let her marry Turanga, Parehuia ran off to be with him anyway. Titahi gathered a group of warriors and set off to get his daughter back. A fight broke out, in which Titahi and his men are defeated. Paruia and Turanga fled towards Turanga's home in Patea. It was a long journey and the young lovers encountered many adventures on the way. There were friendly tribes, and unfriendly tribes to meet. Near the Ruahine Ranges the little group was ambushed and Turanga and his men were killed. Only Parehuia escaped, and she gave birth to a baby daughter whom she named Ruahine after the place where her loved one had died. With her baby on her back Parehuia made the remander of the journey to Patea on her own. The people at Patea welcomed the two travellers to their village, but when he heard they news of the death of his only son, Turi was so broken hearted that he wandered off alone into the bush never to return. The situation back at Taurere was very sad too. Without Parehuia to look after them the karaka trees began to sprawl untidly and the kotuku went away to find somewhere else to live. The people of the village missed her bubbly personality. It was as if the joy had been taken out of their lives. Although she was well looked after in Patea, Parehuia missed her own people and remembered the happy childhood she had enjoyed with the karaka trees and the kotuku. She longed to return to see them once before she died. At last, when baby Ruahine had grown into a beautiful young princess, Parehuia knew that the hime for her to leave Patea had arrived. Parehuia was overjoyed to return to her home and the people of her tribe welcomed back their favourite princess. Parehuia was now old and frail. She asked that she be buried amongst the trees of her karaka grove when she died. The village people were heartbroken. Their princess who had returned so breifly, was now about to leave them once more. "Don't be sad" Parehuia told them "For soon my daughter Ruahine will come and you will have a princess again. look for her when you see the kotuku return to the swamp" Parehuia's words came true. Ruahine left Patea to return to the home of her mother. She became the new guardian of the karaka grove and the kotuku returned to the Waipuna swamp. The circle had been made complete. There is a little grove of Karaka trees to this very day at the back of Mt Taylor - A reminant to remind us of the story of Parehuia - Ka Rere Te Aroha - The loved one flown away Typed up by Georgia T. =D