2000 The Volcanic Taniwha Sisters.

           When I was working on my Chinese New Year collection I came across the stamps from the 2000 Spirits and Guardians issue. One of these in particular caught my attention. This was the $1.10 value. I love this stamp. Nice bright colours on a clear, well designed stamp. It really draws you in and captures your interest.

Te Hoata and Te Pupu

The Volcanic Taniwha Sisters.



          This is the first of a series of posts I have done on Maori Myths and Legends.

                  Others include:-

                     2014  Matariki - Papatuanuku and Ranginui.
                               The parting of Papatuanuka (earth mother) from Ranginui (shy father).
                     1997  Millennium Series I - Discoverers.
                               The stories of Maui and Kupe are told in this post.

                    Pania of the Reef.

                               The tragic love-story of the sea-maiden Pania of the Reef.

          Many of the Maori stories and legends of the Maori people attempt to explain the things they observe around them. In the North Island, Bay of Plenty Region, there is a line of volcanic areas stretching from Whakaari (White Island) in the waters of the Bay of Plenty all the way to the massive volcanoes of Tongariro National Park.

          The story of Te Pupu and Te Haeata, the Volcanic Taniwha Sisters explains how these volcanic areas seem to extend in a line. Below are two versions of this story which I took from Te Ara - the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand and Wikipedia. Both versions are valid, as they would have come from different tribes so I felt both were worthy of inclusion here.

Ngātoroirangi and his sisters Te Hoata and Te Pupu.

          In particular, the people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, whose tribal lands are in the central North Island, have long maintained stories concerning this volcanic phenomenon.
         They say that the high priest Ngātoroirangi and his sisters Te Hoata and Te Pupu were responsible for bringing fire to New Zealand from the ancestral homeland, Hawaiki. Having arrived in New Zealand on the Te Arawa canoe, Ngātoroirangi travelled inland and discovered the lake that became known as Taupōnui-a-Tia (Taupō). He continued to Onetapu, south of present-day Tūrangi, where he encountered extremely cold weather. He called out to his sisters, who came to him from Hawaiki in the form of fire under the earth, appearing above the ground at intervals and creating the geysers, hot pools and volcanoes.
          Te Hoata and Te Pupu first came to Whakaari (White Island), then made their way inland. When they arrived at Taupō, they travelled southwards along the western edge of the lake before meeting their brother on Mt Tongariro. They returned northwards via the eastern side of Lake Taupō.  

Ngātoroirangi and the fire-taniwha Te Hoata and Te Pupu.
        Upon reaching Aotearoa Ngātoro-i-rangi left the waka at Te Awa o te Atua (near Matatā) and headed inland and eventually arrived at Taupō-nui-ā-Tia (Lake Taupō, also called Taupō Moana), and, looking southward, decided to climb the mountain nearest to him, Tauhara and looked out across Taupō-nui-ā-Tia to claim the land he saw. He reached and began to climb the first mountain along with his slave Ngāuruhoe, who had been travelling with him, and named the mountain Tongariro (the name literally meaning 'looking south'), whereupon the two were overcome by a blizzard carried by the cold south wind.      
         Near death, Ngātoro-i-rangi called back to his two sisters, Kuiwai and Haungaroa, who had also come from Hawaiki but remained upon Whakaari (White Island) to send him sacred fire which they had brought from Hawaiki. This they did, sending the geothermal fire in the form of two taniwha (powerful spirits) named Te Pupu and Te Haeata, by a subterranean passage to the top of Tongariro. The tracks of these two taniwha formed the line of geothermal fire which extends from the Pacific Ocean and beneath the Taupō Volcanic Zone, and is seen in the many volcanoes and hot-springs extending from Whakaari to Tokaanu and up to the Tongariro massif. The fire arrived just in time to save Ngātoro-i-rangi from freezing to death, but Ngāuruhoe was already dead by the time Ngātoro-i-rangi turned to give him the fire.

          These are some of the places the sisters left their fire:

• Whakaari (White Island)
• Tarawera
• Whakarewarewa
• Tikitere
• Waimangu
• Ōrākei Kōrako
• Tokaanu
• Tongariro

Whakaari (White Island)

                                                    

         Whakaari (White Island) - 18c.          

Waimangu Thermal Valley (Tarawera). 

          

Emerald Pool - 80c                                    Warbrick Terrace - $1.50

Both these attractions in Waimangu Thermal Valley were formed after the eruption of Mt Tarawera 

Whakarewarewa Thermal Area. 

                

Pohutu Geyser -  10c & $1.80

The two views of the Pohutu Geyser above and the boiling mud pool below are views from Whakarewarewa Thermal Area in Rotorua.

             

        Boiling Mud, Rotorua - 50c

Waiotapu Thermal Reserve.

                     

Hakereteke Falls - $1.00

The attractions of the Waiotapu Thermal Reserve which is located half way between Rotorua and Taupo.

 

Champagne Pool - 45c & 10c  

Tongariro National Park.

            

Tongariro National Park - $10.00                               Mt Tongariro - $2.00 

The three large volcanic mountains in the centre of the North Island. 

Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ

You can visit their web site and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/