Kei te riro tītapu, koutou kua kāwhakina e Aituā Hao Ariki, anea kau ana te ikawhenua, kotokoto kau ana ngā tai whero o te motu, tūperepere kau ana ngā maunga whakahī i a koutou kua iri ki te hao o rua. Tomo atu rā ki te tatau o te Atua, ki te haupūranga hokinga kore ki muri. Tuia ki te rangi te aroha kia māturu iho ai ki te whenua, tuia ki te papa te rongomau kia pārāweranui ai ki te motu whānui. Ko ngā tini whetū kei te rangi, koia rā te āhua o te nui o ngēnei mihi āku ki a koutou e aku nui, e aku rahi.
He mea tupurangi noa iho nei te ahunga mai o te whakaaro nei ki roto i a au nōku ka titiro ki te tuanui o tōku moemanga keiwhā Mahurangi ōku whakaaro, ko tō tōku kuia whakaahua kei te uma, me te whakaaro i taua wā tonu rā, “he aha nei kei tua o te ārai?” He ao atu anō rānei kei tua e haere atu ai ngā wairua, i whakaaetia atu rānei tōku tupuna kuia ki roto, ko wai mā kāore i whakaaetia atu ki roto, me i whērā, ka whakatewhatewhahia māriretia te wairua i mua i te whakaaetia ōna ki rō tō te ika nui whare, he horihori noa iho rānei hei whakamauru kau noa nei i te mamae, hei mahea i te koromāungaunga ka rongohia e te hunga ora ka marere ana, ka makere ana, arā, ka mate ana tētehi?
Kei kīia rā pea e koutou “Ngēnā pātai hoki e Toko, tō hia kore i manei, i horokukū i tō kōrero whēnei”, ko taku waha pākiki rānei, ko ngēnei whakaaro wawau ōku rānei ka iri ki te poti o te ngutu, aua atu, koutou ki a koutou, ahau nei ki a au anō. Kia mōhio tonu mai koutou he ihupuku noa iho nei tēnei ki tēnei kaupapa e wāua ake nei, ko tāku noa iho nei he whakatakoto i ngōku whakaaro kia mutu ai te whakaaroarohia o te kaupapa nei kei te waiata e whakakitāhia ana. Tēnā, kia koke ake tātou.
Āe rā, e whakaaroaro nuitia ana te wāhi e wehe atu ai ngā wairua, he wāhi atu anō rānei, aua ake te ao tukupū nei, hei taunga mō rātou? Ka kaikanohi ake ana ki runga, ka mōtoi ana i te kiko o te rangi, ka hia whakaaro rānei koe ko tēnei “tua o te ārai” nei he aorangi atu anō, kei ikarangi anō, nā, koia rā te wāhi e haere atu ai ngā ngongirua? He tūturu rānei te “Hawaiki” nei e nui nei te huaina ki ngā tangihanga? I ahu mai tēnei momo whakapono i whea, i te aha rā rānei? Ko tāku e whakapono nei he kōwhiringa ka mate ana koe, arā, kia hoki tuarua mai anō ai, tuahia nei rānei ki te ao kikokiko rānei, kia whai atu rānei i te huarahi tuarua, arā, ki tai o te ārai, ki Hawaiki, ki Rarohenga, ki whea, ki whea rānei. He mea hou tonu tēnei whakaaro ōku i whakakīkīa e tētehi whakaahua i kite rā i te Pukamata.
E rua ngā pire i kitea i te whakaahua, ko te pire tuatahi i taea rā e ia te oranga o te tangata te whakatuarua ā-rangitahi noa nei ia, hei whakaea i tāna i whakamomori ai, i konau ai, i popore ai, me kī, ko ngā mea kāore i whai wāhi atu rā ia i mua i te tuamatangi, i te manawa kiore.
Nā, ko te mea tuarua ko te kōwhiringa e haere hāngai atu ai ki tai o te ārai, kāore ō take kia hoki whakamuri. Koia rā tāku e whakapono nei. He mea pea tēnei hei whakaaro ake mā kōrua ko Hiri nē? Wai ka hua, kei huatau tonu rā koe, kua rite noa atu nei ōu nā whakaaro ki ōku te keka, te wawau, te oa te māka. Māna, e hua kē ana koutou e whaimana kē ana ngēnei whakaaro, whakapae ōku.
Tērā, tērā. Kia whakairihia ake te kaupapa nei ki tō tātou nei whare kōrero, kua ngata ahau, kua tau te mauri, kua ngū te reo o te kihikihi i te kaiawherangi i ōku taringa. E tai mā, e tua mā, kia paku whakatamarahi au i konei ka whakanui ai i tō māua huringa tau ko Te Reo Māori, kei taku kaitokomauri, kei taku kura hokoi, ko te hia nei tau atu anō ki a tāua.
